


Many Meetings

by LittleGreekLover



Series: Eleni me ta Kokkina [2]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Arthur is being a cock block!, Awkward Flirting, Bad Puns, Body Worship, Bugs & Insects, Dissection, Dream Sex, F/M, Herakles is a tease and striptease!, Intercrural Sex, Jasper Carrot jokes ahoy, Just Add Kittens, Kissing, Long-Distance Friendship, Long-Distance Relationship, Love Confessions, Making Out, Neck Kissing, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Roller Coasters, Roses, Suggestive Themes, a pen manages to hit Italy square on the head!, bad attempts at taking sexy selfies, coffee kisses, fell asleep in a hotel lobby, herakles gets philosophical, holding out for a hero, making awful B horror movies, meetings where you're literally flirting with danger, suddenly every love song is about you, when your cat is just as smart as you if not smarter!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:22:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 49,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21582193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleGreekLover/pseuds/LittleGreekLover
Summary: After the European Nations Ball, Eleni and Herakles have many meetings together. Whether through the Internet, telephone or face to face, somehow they find each other. Flirting and kisses come easy. Saying goodbye gets harder and harder though.
Relationships: England (Hetalia) & Original Female Character(s), Greece (Hetalia)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Eleni me ta Kokkina [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1555132
Kudos: 1





	1. Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> Some short drabbles based after the European Nations Ball event.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From the Good Together 2020 Valentines Day Prompts by "softlimefluff" on Tumblr. This was for Day 2: Hearts.  
> Although they agreed to be friends for now, there is a lot of love between Eleni and Herakles. A heart being sent in a text message snowballs into an exchange of hearts in different ways.

It started with a heart. A single heart emoji at the end of Eleni's text message to Herakles. 

_ Eleni: We'll talk later! ❤ _

What happened next, snowballed into a chain reaction of heart exchanges. When Herakles caught Eleni's eye half way across the auditorium during another European meeting, he curled his hands into a heart shape over his chest. Eleni smiled brightly at him, and carried on taking notes.

Later as they passed through the hall, Eleni was floundering comically like the last duckling after its siblings to keep up with her boss and their political team. She did manage to slip a piece of paper into Herakles' pocket as she passed him. Herakles pulled out the folded up strip, ripped from a notebook. There was a message written in neat Greek hand-writing, which translated to:

_ Would you like to go out for coffee soon?  _

A heart was doodled next to the message.

Herakles smiled, pocketing the message again.

The next morning, Eleni was sat in a café waiting for her team to order their breakfast and first cup of tea of the day. Half asleep and bored out of her tree. A knock on the shop front window startled her. She looked up to see Herakles standing there. He breathed on the window, steaming it up. As Eleni watched curiously, Herakles started drawing on the steamed up patch with his index finger.

It was a heart shape.

Herakles peeked over the steamed up patch and heart shape with a disarmingly warm smile.

For a moment, Eleni felt her own heart hammering away in her chest. Desperate to break free of its ribcage and fly straight into Herakles' warm and safe hands. 

But her boss sat down at the table, along with several grumpy old politicians, moaning and groaning like zombies in a crypt having to do the Hell Office shift on a Monday morning. By the time Eleni looked up again, Herakles had gone. So had the steam patch. 

Only the heart shape remained, clear as day on the dirty window.

During the afternoon meeting, Herakles was napping when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Flipping open the lid of his technological fossil, Herakles took a sneaky look at the message under the table. However, there were no words. It was a picture of a cute cartoon cat holding a big heart!

Herakles looked up at the sender. Eleni was currently scribbling away at her notepad. After a few moments, she looked to Herakles, and winked. Quick and brief. But Herakles still caught it. 

He smiled warmly and shook his head fondly.

Later in the afternoon, when the meeting was over, Eleni breathed a sigh of relief. She was free tonight to do whatever she wanted. Adventure around the city. Order a take-away. Go back to sleep even and float off to LaLa Land, Oz, Narnia, whatever!

But a land far more real and beautiful came calling.

Suddenly Eleni felt time slowing down. The warmth of the Summer Sun at her back. The smell of olives and musk. A warm, large hand gently clasping her shoulder. A soft, deep voice as rich and sweet as her favourite cup of Greek coffee spoke in her ear:

_ " _ Καλησπέρα (Good afternoon)" 

Eleni couldn't help the warm smile that broke out on her face, as she turned to find the personification of Greece behind her. She stood up on tip toes as Herakles leant down, kissing each others' cheeks in greeting as is the Greek custom.

"Do you want to go out for that coffee now?" Herakles asked bluntly.

Later in a different café from that morning, Eleni ordered a Latte and Herakles an Espresso. Eleni left the queue to grab a table and some napkins. When Herakles put their coffees down on the table, Eleni noticed something different about her Latte.

"Herakles?" Eleni asked lightly.

"Mmhmm?" Herakles hummed.

"...Did you know that there's a heart shape in my Latte?" Eleni asked curiously.

"...Mmhmm." Herakles hummed, his tone of voice meaning "yes".

Eleni's heart was gleefully doing the Conga dance, along with her brain doing the Macarena. As much as Eleni wanted to do these dances right here and now, and maybe smash a few plates with a joyful cry of "Ópa'" too, she had to remain cool as a cucumber.

"...Is it normal for them to put heart shapes in Lattes in this café?" Eleni asked again, trying to be subtle.

"...I saw the Barista making Latte art. I asked him if he could do something on your coffee. I know you like art." Herakles answered.

Eleni started to chuckle quietly. 

_ Did he ask for the heart shape? Please tell me he asked for the heart shape?  _ Her besotted brain pleaded like it had already drunk 10 espressos, and was bouncing off the walls, through the 4th wall, and to some weird dimension called Reality.

"Do you like it?" Herakles suddenly asked, looking serious.

"Oh yeah! It's cute." Eleni replied happily. 

_ Like you!  _ She had wanted to say, but held back.

"One more question though."

"Mmhmm?" Herakles hummed, sipping from his Espresso.

"Did you ask for the heart shape?" Eleni asked, unable to keep the smile from her face.

Herakles didn't answer, with words anyway. He gave her his signature disarming warm smile from over his Espresso cup.

Eleni felt her heart fluttering to escape again, as she smiled endearingly back at Herakles over the rim of her Latte cup.


	2. Where the Wild Roses grow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleni asks Herakles to take her to a special place that only he knows about. A road trip, a picnic and dancing in a field of wild roses sounds like a dream. For Herakles, is it real, or wishful thinking?

Herakles knows that this is a dream. Why else would Eleni be wearing her red dress that makes her look like a Goddess? They aren't going to a fancy ball in Paris, a Christmas Party, or anywhere special.

Or are they?

"Let's go somewhere special today!" Eleni asks Herakles, her brown locks swirling in an arc as she dances to her own beat, spinning around to face him. 

"Take me somewhere only you know," Eleni whispers playfully in his' ear, like a Nymph to her chosen deity. Herakles smiles. He knows just the place.

Time flows like a river to the ocean for Herakles; Sometimes murky, details being lost in his memory. One field blends into the next, the asphalt road keeps on running. The road becomes the ocean. Waves rush under Herakles' Catamaran as it sails across the Mediterranean Sea.

Sometimes the fog clears, and Herakles watches Eleni play with the radio in his three wheeled car. Hears her singing loudly with abandon to the music. Feels the rush of the wind on the open boat, and the spray from the sea. Smells the flowers blooming in fields, fresh salt, and rose water on Eleni's neck. Tastes her lips against his as she leans in to him.

Before Herakles knows it, he finds himself in his special place: The fields of Leros, where the wild roses grow. He watches the smile on Eleni's face grow to a delighted laugh, like the roses themselves opening to the Sun. 

He watches Eleni wander out into the field, a red rose amongst a sea of pink roses.

She marvels at the bees and butterflies, her overjoyed smile making Herakles' heart flutter like their beautiful wings.

Eleni twirls around, her dress whirling around her ankles like petals in the wind.

"Έλα, να χορέψουμε!" (Come here, let's dance!) She calls out to Herakles, holding out her hands invitingly. Herakles feels his spirit lift. He takes Eleni's hands into his. They dance in the grass, a mix of traditional greek dances. Herakles can hear Eleni singing "τριαντάφυλλα στων άμμο" (Roses in the sand), as they dance the Kalamatianos.

Eleni stumbles into a small dip in the ground, lurching forward into Herakles' arms. He catches her, holding her close as she laughs at her mistake. Herakles lets her stand upright again, but still holds her close to him. Eleni smiles sweeter than nectar to a bee up at Herakles, as they start to sway slowly together. Herakles slides his other arm around Eleni, enveloping her hand in his free hand. Her own arm curls around his waist, to return his warm hug as they slow dance together.

Herakles isn't sure how much time has passed, events seem to merge into each other. One minute they are dancing together, the next they are sitting in the grass. Somehow Herakles remembered to bring a picnic hamper and blanket, or maybe it was Eleni's doing? She's good at planning and preparing, whereas Herakles goes with the flow of his whims. Food is laid out on the blanket like a feast at a Giorti. Eleni is holding a bunch of red grapes from the vine, feeding them one at a time into his mouth. Herakles feels the sweet juices on his tongue as he bites into the fruit. He longs for the sweetness of the forbidden fruit that is the whimsical woman before him, as she continues to feed Herakles like a servant serving Ambrosia an Olympian God.

As Eleni smells a wild rose near her, Herakles cuts off another flower, and tucks it into Eleni's hair behind her ear. The flower is beautiful, like Eleni's happy open smile is to Herakles. The petals are soft and layered, like the fabric of Eleni's dress in Herakles' hands. Softer still is Eleni's skin under his fingertips. The flowers bow to and follow the Sun, as Herakles follows Eleni down onto the blanket in the grass. The breeze brushes past, cool and refreshing against his skin. A contrast to the warmth of Eleni's breath against his lips.

The smell of the roses in the field is sweet, like the long and slow love Herakles is making to Eleni beneath him. Herakles gazes lovingly at her, drinking in every detail. Her dark chocolate coloured hair splayed out and disheveled in the grass. Her coffee brown eyes half-lidded in pleasure. Her mouth red from being kissed, passionately singing Herakles' praises. Thick dress straps falling off her shoulders like falling petals, revealing her voluptuous cleavage. 

_ A Wild Rose. My Wild Rose!  _ Herakles chants passionately in heated whispers, as Eleni's calls of his name become wilder. Her hands in his hair rove wilder. Her movements beneath him become wilder. The feeling of ecstasy is delicious as Eleni arches her back and cries out like a wolf howling to a Full Moon.

Herakles feels the heat of the Sun above, and the heat of the passion he shared with his own wild rose. The Sun's life giving rays turn harsh now, and Herakles feels the burn. The light is getting stronger, fading everything to white as fast as roses fade away.

Herakles wakes to this sensation, of harsh sunlight in his eyes on another sunny morning in Athens. Disheveled and disoriented, Herakles sits up a little in his bed.

_ Oh. So it was a dream!  _ He thinks, disappointed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fields on the island of Leros aren't exactly a secret, but wild roses do grow there in the Spring!  
> This chapter's Title and plot was inspired by the song "Where the Wild Roses Grow" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds with Kylie Minogue.


	3. Give me your loss and your sorrow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herakles is haunted by the dream he had the night before. It doesn't help that he keeps getting reminders throughout the morning! When the woman at the centre of the dream contacts him, Herakles knows what he must do.

Herakles sits there, between sleep and wakefulness. Trying to work out reality from fiction. Was his time with Eleni real? Or a dream? If it was a dream, why does he feel disappointed?

_ Of course. We are not dating yet!  _ His conscience adds logically. Herakles scratches his head, ruffling his bed head even more! His still sleepy gaze falls onto his laptop at his desk. 

_ What time is it? What time is it...where she is now? Is she awake too? _

Herakles shakes his head. It isn't like him to feel this way about other people. There are many Greeks around the world who don't live in his homeland. 

_ Why do I want her to come home to me?  _ Herakles wonders. Maybe breakfast will feed his brain and net him an answer.

Herakles rises from his bed, pets his beloved cats, and shuffles to the bathroom to start his morning ritual. He puts it down to tiredness and not being a morning person. Wishful thinking manifesting itself in a dream.

_ Wishful thinking... _ Herakles focuses on that reason. Perhaps he is still enamoured with the woman of his dreams. Perhaps he misses his dear compatriot that much, longing to see her face, hear her talk, laugh. Say his name.

_ Tell me you miss me too!  _

The cold water hits hard onto Herakles' head, the shower washing away all of his thoughts. Soap scrubbing against his skin, he attempts to scrub away the feelings of longing. 

Of course, they come back in full force when he sees the grapes in his refrigerator. The fantasy version of Eleni had fed him grapes in his dream! Frustrated, Herakles grabs a watermelon instead, along with a block of Feta and soft bread.

Herakles switches on the radio, hoping for other voices to drown out his thoughts. A familiar song plays...the one that the fantasy version of Eleni had been singing in his dream! Herakles flicks the switch off fast!

He steps out onto his veranda, to get some fresh air and clear his head. A cool breeze sweeps by... _ much like the breeze in my dream where I had her and- _

Herakles huffs harshly to snuff out the thought! When he breathes in, a powerful smell hits his nose.

_ Roses?  _ Herakles thinks.

He looks to his left. Sure enough, a rose has bloomed in the small patch of greenery among the paving stones. Herakles groans with frustration, and heads back inside!

He tries to enjoy his breakfast. At least the cats offer some comfort, as they rub their sides against Herakles's ankles under the kitchen table. Herakles' white companion cat perched on his shoulder also comforts him, snuggling against his cheek.

The food and cats do wonders on Herakles' mood. He feels like he can handle whatever the day will throw at him now! Meetings? Politicians? Nations? You name it, Herakles is ready to Òpa his way to victory!

His trouser pocket buzzes. Herakles pulls out his flip phone. He has a message waiting for him:

_ Καλημέρα! (Good Morning!) I hope you slept well? Would you like to talk today? It's been a while! _

_ Please kiss your cats for me too! _

_ Eleni X _

Herakles thinks about all the events that have led him to this moment. The dream. The pining. The grapes. The radio. The breeze. The rose. Now this message from the real Eleni herself.

He knows what to do.

*****************************************

Eleni is about to start typing on her laptop, when a familiar ringtone starts to play. A video chat box pops up from Skype. 

_ Herakles Karpusi calling… _

Eleni smiles and clicks the green telephone button. 

A familiar handsome brunet appears in the video screen.

"Good morning Love!" Eleni cheerily sing songs, giving Herakles her sweetest smile. Herakles doesn't miss the British term of endearment. He also doesn't miss how happy Eleni looks to see him. It makes him smile, like when a cat falls asleep on his chest.

"Good morning Eleni mou (My Eleni)", Herakles greets her warmly. "I will kiss my cats for you later. Is there...anyone else you would like to kiss?" He asks hopefully.

Eleni laughs on-screen, a joyful peal that rings musically in Herakles' ears.

"Well I would kiss you too, but we're too far away from each other…" Eleni admits regretfully. "I can blow you a kiss though?" Eleni offers, and she does just that.

Herakles smiles fondly at Eleni's little act of affection. 

"You wanted to talk?" He asks tentatively.

"Yeah I did. I know it's only been 2 weeks but…" Eleni admits, turning shy. "...hey wow, you're up really early this morning! Are you alright?" She asks, tilting her head curiously.

Herakles hesitates. He wonders what to say. Brush off his dream. Or tell her his thoughts and feelings. Eleni is still smiling on screen, but looking concerned too.

"...I am. Maybe...I'm not sure. I... had a dream last night…" Herakles admits.

"Oh? What kind of dream?" Eleni asks.

"...Are you sure you want to know? It's...kind of...I don't know if you would like it?" Herakles becomes shy and embarrassed now.

"Well it's your dream hun, it's not up to me to like it!" Eleni replies diplomatically. "You can tell me though? I'll listen?" She coaxes him.

"...It was about you…" Herakles reveals, a guilty smile breaking out on his face.

Eleni's eyebrows lift and her big brown eyes widen.

"Oh!...Wow...OK?," She starts, a little shocked and flabbergasted at this revelation. "So...what happened? What did I do? Were you in your dream too?" Eleni fires off questions.

Herakles laughs low, slow and deep. He knows for sure that last night was a dream now. The real Eleni is far more talkative and inquisitive!

"Well...you were wearing your red dress," Herakles starts.

"The one I wore at the Ball?" Eleni asks.

"Yeah...that one," Herakles admits, a warm smile breaking out on his face. 

Eleni smiles in return and laughs shyly. 

"OK...so go on...spill the beans!" Eleni encourages Herakles to carry on. He chuckles at her odd British slang.

"You asked me...to take you out...somewhere special. A place that only I know about." Herakles explains.

"So...I took you to Leros...where wild roses grow in the Spring."

Eleni looks surprised again. "Wow! That sounds beautiful!" She says with pure delight.

"Yeah…" Herakles agrees, giving Eleni a wistful smile.

"What else happened? In the dream?" Eleni tries to coax more information out of Herakles.

"I don't remember all of the details...but…" Herakles struggles to remember, "We danced…"

"Aww, that's nice!" Eleni coos sweetly.

"We had a picnic...you fed me grapes?" Herakles remembers more.

"Oh right?!" Eleni chuckles. "Sounds like something I would do…"

Herakles looks surprised. "Really?" He asks incredulously.

"Yeah, why not? I'd want to make sure that you're eating well, and grapes are lush when they're ripe!" Eleni shrugs her shoulders at first, then smiles sweetly.

_ Mixed signals...again. Does she want me...the way I want her?  _ Herakles thinks.  _ I think I'll find out soon… _

"There is more…" Herakles adds cryptically. Eleni quietens, waiting patiently.

"...We made love in the grass…" Herakles reveals, and he can't help the smile that breaks out again either. 

Eleni is stunned.

Herakles waits for her reaction.

Her eyes widen, blinking rapidly.

Then her hands fly to her face.

"Oh. Oh! Oh my God!" Eleni blurts out in shock. She's laughing in shock in between more surprised outbursts. 

_ She is laughing. That is good...I think? _

Herakles thinks, gauging Eleni's reaction.

Eleni eventually calms down, but a smile still plays on her lips, and some soft shocked laughter comes out.

"Wow! OK. Now I understand what you meant by if I would like your dream or not!" Eleni says, still sounding friendly at least. She bites her lip and looks down and across to something off-screen, thinking. 

"Did you...like it?" Eleni asks tentatively.

"Like what?" Herakles asks, feeling on edge. It feels like a tennis match, except instead of a ball, it's opportunities to reveal their feelings being whacked back and forth!

"Well...the dream...and what we did in it?" Eleni asks more specifically.

The ball is back in Herakles' court.

"...Yeah…I did," Herakles admits, a beautiful open smile appearing on his face. Eleni flashes her open smile at Herakles, before covering her mouth.

The implications that the two Greeks like each romantically is out in the open now.

"...I called you...my Wild Rose…" Herakles reveals the last piece of the dream.

Eleni snorts in shock. "Your Wild Rose?!" She repeats back incredulously. For a moment, Herakles thinks that he's ruined his chances.

The smile and laughter return to Eleni, as her hands fly to her face again.

"Well...you were...as beautiful as a red rose...in my dream" Herakles explains, wistful smile on his face, as he leans forward on his folded forearms, looking up at Eleni on screen.

Eleni is stunned, again!

"Oh!" is all she can manage, looking down and tucking a piece of hair shyly behind her ear. Herakles waits for more, still looking wistfully at her.

After a few moments of silence, Eleni speaks.

"You know...there's a song...about your dream," Eleni says gently, still smiling brightly.

Herakles sits up slightly, leaning his cheek into his palm.

"Oh really?" He asks, with genuine interest.

"Yeah, it's by Nick Cave and he sings it with Kylie Minogue. It's called 'Where the Wild Roses grow'. I think I have it, hold on a sec!" Eleni replies, getting up and disappearing from the screen. Herakles can hear Eleni rummaging around for something nearby. 

After a few minutes, a cry of "Found it" erupts off screen. Suddenly a USB cable bounces into view on-screen, and promptly bounces off again. A loud clatter is heard as the cable hits the floor.

"Nailed it!" Eleni yells off-screen. Herakles starts to chuckle.

_ Now I remember why I miss her so much. She makes me laugh!  _ Herakles thinks.

Eleni returns with some small devices. She picks up the fallen lead off the floor and plugs it into a round UK flag coloured ball. The ball is connected to a small flat green rectangle. 

"So, I'll play you the song on my ipod through this mini speaker!" Eleni announces, flipping her thumb and then tapping the ipod's tiny screen.

Herakles listens intently, as the music plays. Listens to this slow ballad about two lovers and roses. Listens to Eleni sing Kylie Minogue's verses. Watches as Eleni looks up to the Skype screen, singing "Will you give me your loss and your sorrow?"

It's not the first time that Eleni has serenaded Herakles. He hopes it won't be the last. Her voice is quiet, sweet, and full of meaning as she sings "If I show you the roses, will you follow?"

"Góri (Girl)...you say you are not romantic," Herakles begins, "but that...was beautiful!" He compliments her.

Eleni smiles and laughs shyly, tucking more hair behind her ear.

"Oh. Um...thank you!" Eleni manages. The song carries on into the third verse. Eleni pales.

"Aaaaand, that's enough of that!" Eleni declares in a rush, stopping the ipod.

"...Why did you stop it?" Herakles asks in confusion. He was enjoying the serenade!

"Because it gets bloody!" Eleni reveals, "Not very romantic really is it?" 

"Ah...no...it is not," Herakles agrees. "Like many tales in Greek Mythology…" He adds. "Would you ...like to know how the red rose was created?"

Eleni snorts, shaking her head. "Yeah, romance and violence go hand in hand in the Greek Myths, it baffles me to no end! But…" She leans her cheek into her palm and looks very interested, "I would  _ love  _ to hear it from you!" Eleni lays on the honey in her voice.

Herakles smiles again. He loves to talk about Greek Mythology, History and Philosophy to anyone who will listen. Eleni watching him with her full attention, and what sounds like endearment in her voice, makes it that much more enjoyable!

Herakles regales Eleni of how the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, cut her feet as she ran in grief from the death of her lover, Adonis. Her blood turned a white rose into a red one.

"And so, the red rose came to represent the love and passion felt between two people!" Herakles explains. Eleni is still watching him with rapt interest.

_ Good. I haven't bored her to sleep!  _ Herakles thinks triumphantly.

Eleni sits up straighter. "Wow, you even know the meaning of the red rose, I'm impressed!" She compliments him. 

Herakles smiles wider.

"Aristotle once said...that all men by nature desire knowledge," he quotes philosophically.

Eleni smiles even wider, genuinely happy. She loves it when Herakles quotes from the ancient Greek philosophers too. Partly because she's proud of her heritage. Mostly because she loves Herakles' intelligence.

"Actually, I desire a certain piece of knowledge…" Eleni begins cryptically. 

"Oh? I'll see if I know it," Herakles offers.

Eleni looks shy for a few moments, thinking and picking her words carefully. She takes a deep breath, and begins.

"Earlier...about your dream. About us in the field with the wild roses. Me in my red dress. You saying... I looked like a red rose...why do you think you had that dream?" 

Herakles swears that he hears thunder and lightning. But there is no stormy weather in Athens right now. Just his heart rate quickening and brain going into overdrive!

_ Do I tell her how I feel? How much I miss her? How crazy she makes me in that dress? How much I...want her?  _ Herakles thinks. Eleni waits, observing from her screen. Herakles looks serious, his eyebrows frowning from the thinking and decision making.

"...I miss you," Herakles admits bluntly. Eleni pulls back, looking upset for a few moments. Herakles freezes, thinking he's made a mistake. Then a rueful smile appears on Eleni's face.

"Oh Love...I miss you too! That's why I wanted to talk to you today," Eleni confesses.

Herakles is elated.

_ She does miss me! She wants to see me! _

"...Eleni mou (My Eleni), I want to-"

Herakles is suddenly interrupted by his flip phone ringing. He checks it.

"Ah...it's my Bosses." Herakles explains. Eleni nods in understanding. She waits patiently as he takes the call. Not much is said on Herakles' end. Just the odd "Mmhmm", "mmm", and "yeah"!

Herakles ends the call, and faces the screen again. 

"I'm sorry Eleni, but I must go to work now," He apologises regretfully.

_ Damn it, I was going to tell her how I feel!  _ He thinks in frustration.

"It's OK, I should be getting back to work too," Eleni replies. "I'll see you at the next European meeting, right?"

Herakles smiles.

"Yeah" he agrees. "Θα τα πούμε (We'll talk soon)" He adds as less of a 'farewell' and more of a 'see you later'. He reaches to click the red telephone button to end the call.

"Wait, one quick question!" Eleni blurts out suddenly.

Herakles pauses.

"Go on?" He asks.

'...Will you take me to see the wild roses one day?" Eleni asks.

Herakles blinks owlishly. Then after the realisation of what she asked, he breaks into a warm smile.

"If you come to see me, then yeah!" Herakles replies, quite happily.

"...Do you want me to wear my red dress when we go?" Eleni asks again, smiling sweetly.

Herakles is taken aback. He thinks for a few moments. Then he looks at the screen again.

"Do you want to be my 'Wild Rose' and make love in the grass?" Herakles asks boldly.

Eleni flusters. Herakles watches her with amusement.

"I...I'll let you go, you have work to do!" Eleni rushes. "Για σου, σ'αγαπώ, Για!" (Bye, I love you, bye!) She rushes out even faster.

"Για…" Herakles starts to say, stunned. But the video call ends, going back to the customary Skype screen.

He takes a moment to digest what Eleni just said.

_ She wants to see what I saw in my dream. _

_ She wants to...wear the red dress...for me… _

_ She said...I love you! _

Herakles is reeling again. How many times is Eleni going to do this to him? Tell him that she loves him, then run away! But he does know for certain, that he can't wait to go to the next European meeting. Eleni will be there. This time, he will tell her how he really feels about her!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Being a direct sequel to "Where the Wild Roses Grow", this chapter's Title and plot was also inspired by the song "Where the Wild Roses Grow" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds with Kylie Minogue.


	4. What is Love to You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleni calls Herakles on a starry night. They talk about the stars, roller coasters, and being put on the spot to make a short speech about some difficult topics. Including "What is Love to You". Herakles has an interesting answer for her!

Time stops for no man.

Eleni had no idea who said that, but she agreed.

Looking at Arthur Kirkland's impressive Grandfather clock, she gaped at how late it was getting. It was early evening in the UK, with the stars out in the clear wintry sky. From the patio door of the Living Room, Eleni could see three stars together in a vertical line; Orion's Belt.

 _I wonder if he can see what I'm seeing too…_ Eleni wondered, as she paused in thought while looking at the sky. Athens is two hours ahead of London, also bathed in the night.

 _Herakles could be out star-gazing..._ Eleni rationalised in her head.

 _But it's also my turn to call him!_ Another side of her conscience urged.

Eleni took a moment to weigh up her options.

She made a decision.

She grabbed her laptop. Then she opened the patio door to Arthur's back garden, sat down at the pretty white ornate garden table and placed the laptop there. Eleni checked the screen. A Wifi signal icon was visible in the bottom corner.

 _Perfect! I can call him from out here!_ Eleni cheered internally.

She opened up Skype and checked the status of one certain Greek nation in her contacts list.

_Herakles Karpusi: Online_

Eleni smiled. It was as if the stars had aligned for her.

She hit the green Skype call button.

5 seconds ticked by. 10 seconds ticking. 20 seconds. 

Eleni waited patiently.

 _Don't fret pet, he's probably gone to the loo for a poo!_ Eleni's internal shoulder devil helpfully suggested.

 _Dear Shoulder Devil, thank you for your ever so helpful suggestion. Please do not mention bathroom activities again, I have been thoroughly put off my dinner!_ Eleni's conscience bit back with plenty of British sarcasm.

_Click._

The sound reached Eleni's ears and she whipped her head back to the screen in time to see the video chat box pop up. Leaning over, about to sit down, was Herakles. The light was fairly bright from above, showing the contours of his strong forearms. Herakles' white T-shirt was tight, doing nothing to hide the toned muscles underneath. 

_I love him for many things...but a girl can still appreciate a body that screams strength...right?!_ Eleni thought to herself, crossing her legs to squash the burning feeling of having a lady-boner for her handsome friend! 

"Καλησπέρα Ελένη (Good evening Eleni)," Herakles greeted her with a small lazy smile, but with the warmth of the Sun on a Spring day in his voice. Before Eleni could reply, the screen view jostled and moved around. Herakles temporarily disappeared for a few moments. The view jumped from high to low, revealing lights of a city in the distance against a dark night sky. The view turned around and bounced once, twice, before settling on Herakles' upper body.

"OK...I am ready now…" Herakles confirmed, his laptop clearly stationed on his knees.

"Καλησπέρα Ηρακλής! (Good evening Herakles!)" Eleni greeted back, with far more joy in her voice than she had intended to show.

 _So much for being cool, calm, and collected!_ Eleni's conscience called her out on her behaviour.

 _I am Greek, I cannot calm down, malaka!_ Eleni bit back internally, throwing in a Greek cuss word to demonstrate her displeasure!

"I see you're outside too! Can you see the stars hun?" Eleni asked, diving into the conversation straight away.

Herakles looked up.

"Yeah...I am on the Acropolis…" He replied, turning the laptop around slowly so that Eleni could see the lit up Parthenon.

"Aw, what a beautiful sight!" Eleni gushed, putting her hand on her heart.

"You took your laptop out with you tonight...bored or working?" She asked.

Herakles tilted his head at her and smiled warmly. 

"I...had a feeling...you would call me" Herakles replied, green and gold eyes slow blinking at the screen.

Eleni felt a huge burst of affection and her heart-beat stutter.

"Well it is my turn to call you hun, so... here I am!" Eleni replied, unable to stop the affectionate open smile that Herakles would bring out of her.

"I saw Orion's Belt in the sky, and decided to sit outside too!" She added.

"Ah...yeah...the Great Hunter…" Herakles said thoughtfully, looking up to the sky and searching for the three stars in a vertical line. 

"Ah...I found it!" He added, with a little enthusiasm in his voice.

Eleni chuckled lightly.

"I saw the stars and thought of when we were in Paris...when we were outside on the hill star-gazing," Eleni admitted shyly. "I was wondering if you could see Orion's Belt, like I could."

Herakles nodded his head. 

"Yeah...I can now...it is nice to know...that we are under the same sky...no matter how far away we are…" Herakles spoke poetically with comfort. Eleni was close to admitting how much she missed Herakles.

That she really did want to be more than friends.

That her love for him, was more than national, platonic and familial.

"But now is not the time...to feel sad. How are you?" Herakles asked Eleni encouragingly. Eleni was startled out of her reverie, saved from making a potentially bad decision.

Herakles may be a serial napper during the day, but he was sharper than a Cretian knife at night. He had seen the pining written all over Eleni's face, and chosen to do what Eleni does best: sweep the trouble under the rug!

"I'm good thank you, still on an adrenaline rush from earlier actually," Eleni replied. "How are you?"

"Eh, OK. Work was... boring. The weather was boring…it was cold and raining..." Herakles lamented, the boredom leaking through his voice too. "But the sky...is beautiful tonight...and you called me...so I am better," Herakles added a little more cheerfully. "You said something...about an adrenaline rush?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Oh yeah...I didn't go on any roller coasters or driving like a maniac...nothing adventurous," Eleni admitted. "Or maybe it was an adventure, let's see what you think of it!" She added mysteriously.

Herakles supported his cheek on his fist, looking intently at Eleni.

"Go on Κόρη (Girl)...how do you say it...spill the beans?" Herakles encouraged her gently. 

"I love it when you do that, use Brit slang too. It sounds so cute when you say it!" Eleni laughed lightly and with a lot of affection.

Herakles shook his head.

"Κόρη! (Girl!) You are...the cute one" He replied, dismissing all claims of himself being cute. Which in truth, is denial really. Herakles is a gentle giant with a big heart, surrounded by cats, and so keen to show you around his home. That just screams cute! At least, that's what Eleni was thinking.

"So after my lecture, I went to a workshop on Public Speaking and Leadership skills. It wasn't a workshop though…" Eleni dove into an account of her day, leaving Herakles hanging cryptically.

"Oh? What was it?" Herakles asked.

"It turned out to be a club where you get thrown in at the deep end to make a 2 minute speech to a room full of strangers!" Eleni revealed.

Herakles blinked in surprise.

"...Oh...What happened?" He asked curiously.

"I was asked to talk about what super powers I would have. Lucky for me, they picked the geek who loves comics and superheroes!" Eleni chuckled lightly.

"Oh...That is not so bad...so what did you say?" Herakles asked with more interest now.

"Well, I told them that first I want to get rid of my vertigo. I love high places but when I look down I think 'Oh my God, why did I just do that?!'" Eleni described, making animated hand-gestures and pretending to swoon at the end.

Herakles snorted in amusement.

"I told them I would also love to heal people. So many people are in pain or dying because they can't get treatment. So I would heal people, save our NHS a lot of money and hospital beds! Plus other people around the world have to pay for health insurance too, so I would save them. In those countries, if you have no money and you get ill, you're practically dead! Game Over!" Eleni further described, all animated hands again.

Herakles nodded, snorting in amusement again.

"Then I told them I'd also like to manipulate time. Sounds dodgy I know but it's so I can slow it down. It feels like it's running away from me, especially when I have deadlines for essays that should have been written weeks ago!" Eleni told Herakles. 

This time he chuckles and shakes his head.

"Also, I'd like to be able to walk through walls. Instead of navigating the labyrinth that is the Science Building and I'm more likely to run into the Minotaur than find my class, I can just walk through 2, 3, 4 walls and hey presto: I've found my class!" Eleni declared with a big flourish of her arms, like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat. Except in Eleni's case, she was trying to pull out a funny joke from a situation more nerve-wracking than Wreck It Ralph wrecking the fourth wall with a wrecking ball!

Herakles chuckled that time. Eleni breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well I'm glad you enjoyed that one, thanks for not falling asleep on me yet!" Eleni thanked Herakles. His face fell.

"Κόρη (Girl)...I wouldn't do that to you...I like hearing you talk...you are funny…" Herakles admitted.

Eleni felt like her face had just set on fire and was about to spontaneously combust!

"Well, they proposed a real kicker of a difficult question after that: What is Love?" Eleni continued.

Herakles raised his eyebrows and blinked. It didn't sound difficult for him. Then again, he could draw upon the knowledge from Ancient Greek philosophers. And songs of love written by many of his poets and musicians.

"And guess who was picked to answer it? Me!" Eleni revealed, looking for all the World to swallow her up right now. Herakles looked on with interest and listened intently. 

"So I went up. I told them that I’ve experienced Familial Love. And love between friends. Love with the opposite sex and other genders? Not so much!" Eleni admitted, scrunching her face in distaste on the last three words.

"I explained that Love is strong versions of these emotions: caring, sympathy, empathy. Protecting someone, to the point that I would want to practice my self defense moves on people who hurt my loved ones! It can be a feeling inside, a feeling of warmth. Getting what you call “the fuzzies”, a tingling in your heart and joy. You can feel it when you see people you love. It isn’t just people you see face to face. You can feel it for people you’ve met online too. You won’t know them face to face, but as you get to know them through what they write and talk to you, you can still feel love for them too. People may be far away from each other, and other people will seek to divide us as a society. But Love can connect us and bring each other together." Eleni re-enacted her speech, with animated hand-gestures, and closing with clasping her fingers together to demonstrate love linking people together.

Herakles was quiet for a few moments, slow blinking. Eleni wasn’t sure if Herakles had stopped paying attention and he was just waking up. Or if he was doing the blink that cats do when they look at you, to tell you they love you. 

Herakles took a deep breath and leaned back.

“That is...an interesting way of explaining Love. It sounds like...you are close with your family. And close to your friends." Herakles began. He leant down closer to the screen now.

"But...you haven’t had much experience...with romantic love?" He asked curiously.

Eleni bit her lip nervously and nodded ruefully.

The look in Herakles eyes changed from curiosity, to an empathetic look charged with love.

"I could change that...I could...show you? Show you...how Greeks love…” Herakles spoke dreamily, his voice and smile warm and inviting. 

Eleni’s heart revved so hard behind her rib cage, that it almost grew wheels and took off to join the Hells Angels gang! Her brain felt so light and empty, it wanted to float off into space and collide with the International Space Station. Probably. Herakles is usually so stoic. But when he shows love, he showers it like rain on dry land desperate for water. Just like the dry land, Eleni thirsted for Herakles, no matter how hard she tried to resist. Eleni is old school however: she doesn’t like to chase. Previous heart-break had also made her cynical. Herakles was going to have to do a lot more than just sweet-talk her.

Eleni laughed softly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear shyly.

“You talk a good game hun. But you’re right. You will have to show me,” Eleni replied, challenging Herakles.

He sat up straighter, looking far more alert.

“Really? When? Now?” Herakles asked, sounding excited.

"Well it's a bit difficult since we're on opposite ends of Europe right now," Eleni replied.

"It's OK...we have internet...I can still try?" Herakles offered.

Eleni's heart fluttered in her chest

 _Oh my! He is very persistent!_ She thought. _Never underestimate a determined Greek!_

"Go on then Mr Love God of Europe, show me how Greeks love!" Eleni challenged Herakles. 

"I would hold you...in my arms. Listen to you. Care for you. Take away your sorrow and your tears. Share your mountain of burdens like Atlas held the World. Protect you from all harm. Give you my heart. My life. My soul. Do everything in my power to make you smile. Laugh. Cover you in kisses. Love you through the night. Love you so much that you feel Heaven through me, with me." Herakles spoke quietly, but with passion and sincerity. A tempting promise.

_Wow. That was pure poetry. Beautiful. You outdid the poet Homer, congratulations!_ Eleni had wanted to say. Probably would have batted her eyelashes adoringly and swooned straight through the computer screen into Herakles' waiting arms if she could! But that would be breaking the Laws of Physics. And what came out of Eleni's mouth, was a little different than intended!

"That sounds a bit more different than the guy who made a speech about how to conquer someone's heart!" Eleni blurted out.

Herakles tilted his head with interest.

"What did he say?" He asked.

Eleni tried not to laugh.

"He said that firstly, he has trouble with emotions like sympathy and empathy. If someone says they had a bad day or have a broken heart, he pats them on the head, but is secretly thinking "I don't really care!"

Herakles chuckled in shock. Eleni chuckled too and saw fit to carry on.

"Then the guy says that it's not the heart that loves, it just beats and not much else! But he admitted that Biology isn't his strong point, he's a Space Physicist! Love is all in the head to him! And if you want someone to fall in love with you, get into their head! You can do that by brain surgery, tattooing yourself in there!"

Herakles chuckled again in shock and disbelief.

"But that's illegal so he wouldn't recommend it! If all else fails, he'd get them some flowers and a Maccy Ds!" Eleni broke out into giggles.

Herakles was confused.

"What is...a Maccy Ds?" He asked.

"A meal from McDonalds!" Eleni replied through laughter.

"Oh!" was all Herakles could manage through his own chuckles, shaking his head in disbelief.

"The advice is terrible but it's so funny!" Eleni giggled, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.

Herakles thought for a moment.

"Is that...what people in Britain...think of love?" He asked. Eleni shook her head

"It's just one guy's opinion. He masked his problems with humour and jokes. I actually avoided the whole romance part of my speech altogether." Eleni replied.

Herakles raised a long, dark eyebrow. 

"I noticed that." He commented.

Eleni took a deep breath to steady herself, like a rabbit attempting to avoid a hungry hawk.

"I'm not going to tell a room full of strangers about my terrible run ins with romance! They'd be bored to tears!" Eleni defended herself. "Or maybe I should do that, make everyone fall asleep! Then I can escape and not have to do any public speeches! Problem solved!" She cheered.

Herakles wasn't impressed. At all.

"Κόρη!(Girl!)" He said sternly, "Running away...won't solve your problems!"

"True. But it depends! Talking to people about animals and climate change, I can do!" Eleni admitted, "Telling people about love and romance in my life? I'd rather go on The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach thanks!"

Herakles looked curious again.

"The... Big One?" He asked. Eleni nodded her head.

"Yeah, it's a roller coaster ride. Very deceptive. You go slowly up a hill. When you reach the top, there's a camera with a sign that says "Smile". You smile, wave, pull a silly face, etc." She described excitedly.

"Sounds nice…" Herakles commented, not seeing anything wrong there so far.

"Yeah that's where the niceties end. Straight after the camera, is a vertical cork-screw drop!" Eleni revealed.

"Ah…" Herakles said, looking visibly uncomfortable. 

Eleni nodded her head again.

"Yeah. I've stood underneath it. It looks terrifying from the ground, let alone on the ride!" She agreed.

"So...have you been on this... Big One?" Herakles asked.

Eleni shook her head this time.

"No! I only know what happens because they've filmed celebrities going on the ride, and they showed what happens on the telly!" She chuckled. "The view from the cameras was terrifying!"

"I thought... you said... you cannot go on roller coasters?" Herakles asked, pressing a little more.

"True. I can't. But I'd rather take my chances on the UK's tallest roller coaster ride than tell a bunch of strangers what romantic love is, when even I don't know!" Eleni admitted cheerfully.

"I think...I understand" Herakles replied thoughtfully. He smiled more warmly.

"But if you really want to know...know that I would be happy to show you…" He offered.

Eleni looked bashful and away from the screen, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear shyly.

"I have a question actually…" She asked, not looking at the laptop screen.

"...OK?" Herakles prompted Eleni to ask away.

Eleni took a deep breath, and finally looked at her laptop screen to Herakles.

"....If you 'shoop shoop' with someone, do you talk to them again afterwards? Can you still be friends with people you've...had a bit of 'how's your father' with?" She blurted out.

Herakles took a few moments to connect the dots, and worked out in all that Brit slang gobbledy-gook what Eleni meant. He chuckled at the absurdity of it all.

"Κόρη!(Girl!) Again with the innuendos?!" He asked incredulously.

"Oh come on hun! I know you think they're funny!" Eleni replied, smiling bashfully.

"Yeah but...just say the word! It is OK!" Herakles encouraged Eleni.

"Neveeeeer! Never in a million years!" Eleni replied dramatically, laughing at the end.

"Κόρη!(Girl!) You will... not make it... to a million years." Herakles replied stoically.

"Exactly! That's my plan!" Eleni practically cheered.

"...Why do you want to know?" Herakles asked curiously.

Eleni sighed and shook her head. "A question with a question? It's for science!" She explained.

Herakles also sighed, and shrugged his shoulders.

"OK...yes I do. I do not have a problem with talking to people I have made love to." He finally answered.

"So...no awkward atmosphere? Eleni asked.

"No" Herakles replied bluntly.

"You don't grow cold to them?" Eleni asked again.

Herakles shook his head.

"No" he answered again.

"You still stay friends? Eleni asked.

Herakles looked confused.

"Yeah...why not?" He asked this time, not seeing any kind of problem here.

Eleni thought for a few moments, looking away. Finally, she looked back to the laptop screen.

"....OK. That's all I needed to know. Ευχαριστώ πολύ! (Thank you!)" She thanked Herakles.

"Παρακαλώ (No problem)...I have a question for you now…" Herakles asked Eleni now.

"Er, OK? Go for it." Eleni prompted him.

"...What do you mean by 'hun'? You have been calling me that...lately." Herakles asked.

Eleni breathed out a short but sharp sigh of relief.

"Oh right! It's short for 'honey'. Μέλη in Greek. But equivalent to Γλυκιά μού (My Sweet), as a term of endearment." She explained, smiling brightly.

"...Oh! I understand" Herakles replied, returning Eleni's smile with one of his. "...So...by calling me…'your sweet'...do you love me?"

Eleni froze. She had been called out and caught out.

"Oi, Eleni! Are you home?" A very British voice literally called for Eleni. She sighs with a mix of relief and disappointment. Relief that she doesn't have to admit her feelings. Disappointment that she has to leave Herakles. Duty calls.

"...That's a question for another day...I have to go. Arthur's calling me to help him." Eleni replied.

Herakles could hear Arthur of the UK's voice getting louder. 

"...OK…" Herakles conceded, looking and sounding very disappointed.

Eleni hesitated a moment.

"Before we go…" She began tentatively.

Herakles waited. 

Eleni smiled shyly.

"I just want you to know...that I-"

The video chat box went black.

_Skype call ended._

Herakles breathed out a sharp sigh of frustration. Eleni was about to tell him something very important. Maybe she was going to answer his question!

He looked to the sky for answers. What did the stars say?

Nothing. They just hung there in the sky, like they had done for eons.

Meanwhile, under the same sky but about 2,000 miles away, Eleni was wailing with frustration.

"What's wrong Poppet?" Arthur asked Eleni, tracking her outside to his garden table.

"My laptop ran out of power!" Eleni sobbed into her hands.

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Well that's a silly thing to be upset over! It's not the end of the world Love-" He chided her, but also tried to comfort her.

Eleni looked up in distress. She thought about telling Arthur everything. About her feelings for Herakles. That she's realising that she loves Herakles...for himself, not his status or super human power. That she was about to confess.

 _Are you going to tell Arthur, before Herakles?_ Eleni's conscience warned her.

 _Yeah...you're right. Herakles deserves to know first. My confession is for him and him alone._ Eleni for once, agreed with her conscience.

"Yeah you're right, just crying over spilt milk!" Eleni agreed with Arthur, standing up quickly and grabbing the offending laptop. She frog-marched away abruptly back inside Arthur's house.

Arthur stood there confused. Whatever happened, Eleni had been upset. 

_Did she lose her work? Maybe she had an essay due and lost it? But she decided not to tell me why her laptop running out of power was so devastating. It can't have been that important._ Arthur pondered. _Could it?_

Eleni returned to her room, putting the laptop to charge. She looked through her window at the starry sky. She briefly wondered if astrology could guide her to a decision. 

_Are we star-crossed, or are we written in the stars?_ Eleni wondered about her and Herakles. 

_I know bloody zip all about Romantic Love...but I'm sure of one thing._

_I feel Love...for him...everything I talked about in that stupid speech!_

_I feel it all for him...and more!_

_I have to tell him...and tell him soon!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The speech making club in this chapter is called "The Toastmasters Club", they have been operating for 95 years!  
> "The Big One" is the tallest roller coaster in the UK, at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. I have stood underneath that terrifying corkscrew drop at the end of the big hill on that ride, I don't think I'll ever go on that ride!


	5. You give me that Buzz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleni tells Herakles about her upcoming field trip. It turns into a brain-storming session about making a terrible B-movie!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mentions of Wasps and horror themes. No blood though. Just lots of tomato sauce, and ruining a giant Moussaka!

Eleni was excited. Buzzing. Feeling so many thoughts and words bubbling up inside of her like a volcano. The eruption was imminent. Eleni was in danger of word vomiting on someone!

That unfortunate someone was ringing her on Skype now. Little did he know what he was in for.

"Ηρακλής! Αγάπη μού! Τι κάνεις; (Herakles! My Love! How are you?)" Eleni cheered with glee at her laptop screen, raising her hands in the air as if her favourite football team had just scored a goal. 

The Greek man in question was blinking owlishly at the screen. If someone were to describe his face as an internet domain, it would be confused.com!

"Umm...OK...you...you just called me...your Love?" Herakles asked her in a daze.

"Oh! Well, yeah! You are! It's what close family and friends do right? And you're both to me!" Eleni explained in a far more animated fashion than usual. "It's what I wanted to tell you at the end of our last call, but my laptop ran out of power!" She admitted.

_Coward!_ A part of Eleni's brain hissed at her. _Tell him the truth! He deserves to know!_

 _Not yet, not ready yet, I'm not ready yet!_ Eleni's conscience pleaded.

"Oh...I see," Herakles replied to Eleni. He felt a burst of warmth that Eleni saw him in her close circle of loved ones.

"You are...very happy! Did something... good happen today?" He asked tentatively, a small smile brightening up his face.

"Well, yeah! It's been a good day!" Eleni revealed, "I found about our field trip to Portugal in April-"

Herakles' face dropped from happy to melancholic. Eleni noticed.

"End of April to the first week of May. I won't miss Greek Easter this year hun, don't worry!" Eleni assured him, winking at him for extra reassurance.

The warm smile returned to Herakles' face, and a small laugh.

"How did...you know?" He asked her.

Eleni smiled brightly.

"Because when I told you that I missed Greek Easter last year because of another field trip, you looked like a hurt kitten!" She replied.

Herakles looked scandalised now.

"Κόρη! (Girl!) How can you 'miss' Easter?! It is bigger than Christmas to us Greeks!" He stated sternly, gesturing with his two fingers touching his thumb for extra emphasis.

"I'm sorry hun, that's the way my University rolls!" Eleni replied guiltily. "But if it's any consolation, I did go to church before I left for Ουαλία (Wales). I also took Σούπα Αυγολέμονο (Egg-Lemon Soup) with me in 2 flasks. When I asked the chefs in the guest house we stayed in to heat up the soup, they wanted to know what it was! So I told them the recipe and they were super interested!" Eleni explained.

Herakles looked somewhat appeased.

"...OK. So you taught them...about Greek food...good!" He said warmly.

Eleni breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't want to disappoint or upset Herakles. One, she felt that inner pull of not wanting to disappoint the nation of her family and ancestors. It would be a huge dishonour! Two, an upset Herakles hurt her besotted heart too.

 _I know I love Herakles for him. But my loyalty to my family's Nation keeps getting in the way too. Why is this so confusing for me?!_ Eleni found herself thinking after every conversation they had. 

"You were saying...about your new field trip?" Herakles interrupted her fretting thoughts. Eleni mentally shook herself.

"Oh yeah!" Eleni exclaimed, and began to describe what her class would be doing on a former farm turned nature reserve in Portugal. She was bubbling over, like the volcano mentioned earlier. Maybe Eleni should be renamed Mt Etna instead, it was that difficult to stop her!

Herakles still listened though. It wasn't everyday that he got to hear how scientists do their work these days. Not the expected 'boffins just sit all day in a lab stuck under a microscope' stereotype.

"You will be...up at dawn...hunting for bugs...then going to bed...at sunset?" Herakles asked, to be sure he had heard everything right.

Eleni rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Pollinators hun! Bees, Butterflies, Wasps-" Eleni listed.

Herakles pulled a worried face.

"Κόρη! (Girl!) You _hate_ wasps…" Herakles reminded her.

"Hate is a strong word," Eleni replied guiltily. "I mean don't get me wrong, they're still little _bastards-_ "

Herakles chuckled deeply and slowly at Eleni's bad language.

"But they're useful little bastards. Besides, if I don't scream and flail like I've been possessed by a demonic cheerleader-" Eleni continued.

Herakles laughed a little harder.

"You...hee hee...have been watching...american horror...hee hee...films again?" Herakles managed through his laughter.

"Oh no hun, I haven't actually. Hmm, demonic possessed cheerleader...I could write a script for that and make my own horror film…" Eleni thought out loud jokingly.

"She would be...no match...for a giant moussaka…" Herakles bantered back.

Eleni laughed out loud.

"Oh my God, now there's an idea! Make it a versus film, like Godzilla vs King Kong! Except instead of a giant radioactive lizard and an over grown gorilla, you get a hyperactive American from Hell against a year's worth of lunch from Outer Space!" Eleni enthused.

Herakles had nothing to say to that. He was too busy with his head down in his forearms, laughing uncontrollably, his shoulders shaking from the force. Eventually, he sat up.

"Instead of blood...there will be lots...of tomato sauce!" Herakles offered, wiping away tears of laughter from his eyes.

Eleni giggled. "Yeah yeah! The Moussaka could attempt to drown the cheerleader in tomato sauce. But then she hits back by squirting ketchup to ruin the Moussaka from...one of those big pump water guns!" She enthused excitedly, waving her hands around like...yeah you guessed it, a demonic possessed cheerleader!

"But then...the tomatoes would want revenge...for their fallen comrades…" Herakles added darkly.

"Oh my God, an unexpected twist!" Eleni laughed out loud. "But...you know how this ends right?"

Herakles thought for a few moments. 

"Yeah...I do!" He replied confidently 

Eleni smiled cheekily.

"OK, do tell! Spill the beans!" She challenged him.

Herakles stretched like a cat waking up, and cracked his fingers.

"OK...so the Moussaka and the tomatoes would be defeated...by hungry Greeks at Easter! The people would be so hungry...after fasting...that they would all get together... after church on Saturday night... and eat everything they can find!" He offered, getting animated with his hands too.

Eleni burst into peals of laughter, throwing her head back and clapping.

"Even...the demonic possessed cheerleader?" She spluttered through her laughter.

Herakles nodded.

"Yeah...it is a horror movie...she would be added...to the Maghiritsa soup! The End!" Herakles added nonchalantly.

Eleni lost it, collapsing into her forearms this time and laughing uncontrollably. Herakles watched her, highly amused.

"Oh dear...we have to write this down, it's too good to pass up!" Eleni giggled, raising her head up and supporting it with her palm.

"Well...you could be...a scientist...who makes silly horror movies?" Herakles replied encouragingly.

"You'd be the co-writer of course! We'd make a great team!" Eleni encouraged back.

"It would be a nice change...from reading bills...about poor GDP performance…" Herakles thought out loud.

Eleni looked sympathetic.

"Aww, sweetheart! You could be the leading actor in our films too! I've got another idea, are you ready?" She asked enthusiastically, like a bee doing the wiggle dance.

Herakles rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"I am still recovering...from the last idea...but I am ready. Come on..." He replied.

Eleni took a deep breath.

"OK. So an Archaeologist from Greece has to save his scientist girlfriend from being kidnapped by giant wasps enlarged by nuclear waste…" She began dramatically, and paused for dramatic effect.

Herakles just looked at Eleni on the screen with a deadpan expression.

"...because she stepped in their flower patch without permission!" She revealed dramatically.

Herakles closed his eyes, and put his face in his hands at the absurdity of it all. 

"The Archaeologist saves the day by distracting the giant wasps with an ancient fountain of rose flavoured ice-cream!" Eleni declared her absurd happy ending.

Herakles started laughing then.

"Κόρη! (Girl!) Why...rose flavoured ice-cream?" He asked with bemusement.

Eleni grinned confidently. 

"Because it's sweet with lots of syrup and melts into liquid in the heat! Wasps are attracted to sugary liquid! The ice cream will melt, the wasps will drown in the syrupy liquid trying to eat it, the Archaeologist saves the scientist, and creates a new kind of pest control. Ta-daa!" Eleni gave her explanation with a big cheer.

Herakles was still bemused.

"Why... rose flavour?" He asked, still confused.

"It's a private joke for you and me. We keep talking about roses every so often!" Eleni admitted. "You know, the neighbour being the rose in the Maria me ta Kitrina (Maria in the Yellow) song, your dream about walking through fields of Wild Roses with me…" Eleni listed, jogging Herakles' memory.

Herakles smiled warmly, like a cat that had got the cream.

"I see...so...would I be the Archaeologist?" Herakles asked.

"Yeah! This role was made for you!" Eleni replied enthusiastically.

"And...you would be the scientist?" Herakles asked again.

Eleni was about to reply with a yes. Until she thought of the implications.

_If_ _you say yes, you are straight up telling Herakles that you want to be his girlfriend! Aren't you still in the friendship stage?_ Eleni's conscience warned her.

"...You could be acting with Greece's greatest actress!" Eleni deflected the question.

Herakles was undeterred. "Hmm...what if...I act better...with you as my girlfriend?" He persisted.

Eleni closed her eyes and put her face in her hands. She had put herself in this pickle. Now she had to get out of it.

"You are scared...of wasps...your screams would be realistic?" Herakles tempted her logically.

"Oh yeah...that could work…" Eleni thought out loud.

"...And our kisses would be real…" Herakles set the honey trap.

Eleni's brain short-circuited. She dissolved into giggles and mutterings of "Oh my God".

"You...don't want...to be kissed?" Herakles asked. Eleni froze. How could she refuse? Herakles had her right where he wanted her.

Game, set, and match.

"Oh it's not that hun…" Eleni was quick to dismiss Herakles' assumption. "It's more like... I wouldn't want to stop." She admitted shyly. "We'd probably win an award for longest on-screen kiss ever actually!" She added enthusiastically, trying to joke to steer away from serious romantic implications.

Herakles gazed at Eleni with such warmth and affection, that she felt like target practice for Eros' arrows of love. He was thinking. Slow blinking at her.

Eleni felt like she understood exactly what that meant, but the cynical side of her brain denied it.

 _He's just being nice. It's just flirty behaviour, nothing more._ The cynical logic in her conscience iterated again and again.

Herakles opened his mouth to speak.

Eleni waited on tenterhooks.

Suddenly large hands clasped down on Eleni's shoulders. Followed by a booming laugh. A youthful bespectacled male's face filled the screen.

"Yooooo! Greece dude! How are you man?!"

Herakles sighed in resignation.

"....Hello America," Herakles replied. Typical really. They had been talking about movies, and Mr Hollywood himself showed up to interrupt.

"I totally hate to interrupt, but it's Games Night, and your little girlfriend here promised she'd play with us!" Alfred F Jones of America explained enthusiastically.

Eleni looked shocked at Alfred, lost for words.

"Ah...um...oh my glob, is it that time already?" Eleni asked confused, grinning awkwardly. 

"Totally. It's Game Time!" Alfred cheered, his voice the force of a tornado that could take everybody away to the Land of Oz!

Both Greeks looked at each other onscreen. Neither of them wanted to say goodbye just yet.

Herakles had something important to say.

Eleni wanted to hear it.

But Alfred of America was hanging around, clearly not reading the room!

"Er, Alfred? Can I just say goodbye to Herakles?" Eleni asked tentatively.

"Sure!" Alfred replied enthusiastically, just like a certain demonically possessed cheerleader they were talking about earlier.

"...Alone please?" Eleni prompted.

"Aaah, OK. I get it. But hurry up!" Alfred warned impatiently, as he scooted out of view of the screen.

Eleni turned back to the screen and sighed.

"I forgot that he was coming over!" Eleni quietly admitted. "Once every two weeks with Arthur, as part of their 'Special Relationship' you see," She explained.

Herakles nodded in understanding. 

"You take care hun, no getting attacked by giant moussakas!" Eleni quietly joked.

Herakles smiled warmly.

"And don't you... get kidnapped... by giant wasps in Portugal!" He joked back. Eleni chuckled lightly.

"Wow, you remembered all of that! I'm impressed!" She praised Herakles.

"Yeah...how could I forget? I get to... give you the longest kiss... on the movie screen ever!" Herakles replied.

Eleni chuckled again.

"Good night and sweet dreams!" She told him, ready and not ready to bid him farewell.

"And you. I'll dream of our on-screen kiss…" Herakles told her dreamily.

"I'll kiss you for real the next time I see you," Eleni flirted right back, before her brain filter could kick in. 

"I...love you," Herakles told her quietly, drawing a heart shape on the screen with his index finger

Eleni smiled softly. 

"I love you too," she said softly with feeling.

There was a moment of silence. Filled with apprehension. A realisation. A confession of love from both Greeks.

"Woo hoo!" A wolf-whistle from a certain impatient American nation broke the silence.

Eleni rolled her eyes.

"I gotta go. Love you!" She whispered to Herakles, winking at the screen.

Herakles smiled at her with all the endearment he had.

The screen went black. The call had ended from Eleni's end.

Eleni didn't get up straight away. The events of what just happened played in her head.

_He told me he wanted me to play his girlfriend!_

_He wanted to kiss me!_

_I promised to kiss him next time I saw him!_

_He told me...he loved me…_

"What's taking so long?" Arthur Kirkland of the UK's voice cut into Eleni's reverie.

"Shhh, dude! She's saying romantic shit to Greece! It's totally a Hollywood Romance moment!" Alfred enthused. 

"I see…" Arthur replied cynically, from outside Eleni's bedroom door.

"But I heard something about being kidnapped by giant wasps though...totally unromantic dude! Hey maybe I could make a Hollywood film from that…" Alfred said thoughtfully.

"Hey! That's my idea!" Eleni yelled, jumping out of her seat and running out of the room. Alfred laughed out loud, yelling an even louder "Gotcha!". Wrapping an arm around Eleni's and Arthur's shoulders, Alfred led the Brits into the Living Room to start their Gaming Night.


	6. Hearts

Lunchtime was coming to an end. Despite the lack of food left, the tea and coffee pots were still steaming. Nations and their staff from the meeting had finished lunch and returned to the European Parliament hall. Except for Herakles and Eleni. There's a few minutes to go before break time is over. Herakles is finishing his coffee, Eleni is sipping her tea.

"Breaks are nice, but I'm still so tired!" Eleni admits, as she blows on her tea to cool it down some more.

"This is why I nap in the meetings," Herakles admits too, "I find out what happened afterwards!"

"I wish I had the courage to do that too," Eleni admits with a fond chuckle. "I don't know how Arthur puts up with all of this...bureaucracy! I'm beginning to see why he half wants to leave the EU," Eleni admits sadly. "I still want the UK to stay though. And Arthur still wants me to write notes from these meetings," Eleni continues, dragging her hand down her face to try to wake up.

Herakles has been observing Eleni, taking note of how tired his compatriot from the UK looks. 

"...would you like some coffee?" Herakles asks her. "It's not Greek but it's sweet like one. Here!" He stretches out his coffee cup to Eleni to take.

"Oh! I-er, I can't take your drink Kyrié (Mr/Sir) Herakles!" Eleni politely refuses.

"Ella Góri (come on girl), have some!" Herakles insists, literally putting the cup in her hand. "You should know...it's rude to refuse Greek hospitality!" Herakles gently chides her with a warm smile.

All Eleni can do is smile warmly back at him and shake her head. 

_ Damn. Done in by this sweetheart of a man with that damn warm smile and Greek hospitality!  _ Eleni thinks frustratedly. 

"Alright, alright, efharistó polí (thank you very much)," Eleni replies as sweetly and politely as possible. She puts down her tea cup, wraps her hands over Herakles' warm hands and sips from the coffee cup. She jolts back in surprise.

"Wow! That is sweet! Like a lightning bolt to the body!" Eleni marvels, definitely feeling more human now, and less zombie-like!

Herakles sips from his coffee cup and aims his friendly smile at her again. He has a little think, while looking down at the rim of his coffee cup.

"You know…" he starts softly, looking up at Eleni and slow blinking at her, "We just shared...a cup of coffee...we just shared...an indirect kiss!" Herakles finishes his soft and low revelation.

Eleni looks at the coffee cup, and back to Herakles. She's biting her lip and thinking. 

"Well…" she starts, beginning to walk closer to Herakles.

Suddenly she walks faster, pulls Herakles down by his open shirt collar, and plants a short but loving kiss to his lips. Pulling back, she smiles softly and slow blinks back at Herakles.

"Now we just had a direct kiss!" Eleni sweetly but cheekily replies, spinning on her heel to head out back to the meeting.

Herakles just stands there, stunned and gaping in shock.

_ What did that mean? Does she like me too?!  _ Herakles thinks, desperate for an answer. Carefree as he usually is, there is a massive difference between flirting and falling in love. Since the romantic events at the Nations Ball but Eleni having only fractured memories of that night, Herakles has been treading lightly with this...friendship? 

_No, we kissed. What is this...relationship we have now? It's something after friendship?_ _Is there a word for this situation?_ _What do the Ancient Greek philosophers say about this?_ Herakles wonders. He's aware that he is feeling something a lot more than friendly feelings. He wonders if Eleni really feels the same way too. Especially after that impromptu kiss! Well, he did set it up. But he had no idea his little compatriot was not only going to take the bait, but escape too!

Dazed and still recovering from that kiss that felt sweeter than his coffee, Herakles heads back to the meeting. He hopes he'll get answers soon!


	7. Kiss me you animal!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleni has a confession for Herakles: She remembered their first kiss after all. She wants to kiss him again. What will Herakles do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the Good Together 2020 Valentines Prompt Day 8: Kiss

"Can I confess something to you?" Eleni asked Herakles one evening tentatively. They had decided to walk around the town, and ended up in the park. They had sat down on a bench, to star gaze. Watch the world go by. Talk about everything and anything that came to mind. Now Eleni was about to reveal a secret. One meant only for Herakles. He turned to her and shuffled closer, sidled right up to Eleni's side; hip to hip.

"OK...I'm listening. What is it?" Herakles murmured quietly, as if he was back in The Greek Resistance and sharing secrets. He waited patiently, as Eleni bit her lip and fought to find her words. She looked away for a few moments. Took a deep breath. Exhaled sharply. 

"I've been thinking about the Ball lately. The European Nations Ball from last year...at least what I remember of it…" Eleni began. She turned to face Herakles. He watched her with interest.

"What do you remember?" He asked curiously.

Eleni bit her lip with a rueful smile and looked down.

"I remember some things from...the Hill. We were star gazing...I serenaded you with your National Anthem!" Eleni listed what she could remember, ending in disbelief on the last part. Herakles smiled warmly at her, and leant a little closer to her.

"Yeah...you did. Ήταν υπέροχο (It was beautiful)" Herakles replied softly, and genuinely. Eleni couldn't help smiling widely from the compliment, found herself leaning into Herakles' shoulder. When she raised her head, Eleni found Herakles' face a mere inch from her own. Brief surprise on her face turned to longing. Desire. The confession spilled from her lips.

"I remembered you picked me up...and kissed me!" Eleni told him just above a whisper, with hope and awe. Herakles leant his forehead to touch Eleni's.

"I did...Ήταν υπέροχο (It was beautiful)" Herakles admitted, repeating his words. Eleni let out a small shy laugh. He gave her courage to carry on.

"I've been thinking lately...that I really want... to kiss you," Eleni admitted quietly. "Not just cheek kisses...hand kisses and cat kisses...like actually mouth to mouth kissing. My lips against yours…" She trailed off, the confession completely out in the open now. She waited with baited breath. Herakles didn't react. He just stared at Eleni patiently. Eleni's heart pounded against her chest. She blinked twice.

Herakles surged forward then. He angled his head, and pressed a warm, open mouthed kiss to Eleni's lips. His hands cupped her face gently. His lips moved slowly and lovingly against hers. It was even warmer and more beautiful than Eleni remembered. Summer days felt nothing compared to the heat and love that Herakles was showering her with now. A small moan of desire escaped her throat, and Eleni kissed back. She let out all of her pent up feelings from the last two weeks. The realisation that she'd been hiding her love for him all this time. Her hands flew to cup Herakles' face as she moved her lips softly against his. As much as she kept telling him that she wanted to be friends, her heart yearned for more. Her lips certainly yearned for more!

Herakles slowed his lip movements right down, like he was savouring a fine wine. He ended the kiss with a soft closed peck. He pulled back a little, and smiled warmly at Eleni, like the Sun light kisses the beach at sun rise. 

Herakles' eyes were so full of love in that moment, that Eleni lost her self control. She leant back in, giving Herakles long, closed mouth kisses. 

Spelling out  _ I think I love you. _

They gave way to open mouthed kisses, pressing harder against Herakles' lips. Filled with intense want. The powerful desire to give. 

Screaming out now  _ I know I love you! _

The kissing grew more passionate as Herakles gave back just as ardently. Hot, sensual, knee weakening. The world fell away, Eleni felt dizzy and clung to Herakles' harder as her hands slipped to the back of his scalp and nape of his neck. Her fingers tangled in his soft, disheveled hair. Herakles was her world, she was drawn in like the Moon held in the Earth's magnetic field.

Herakles physically leant forward even more, his arms reaching to Eleni's shoulders to hold her closer. A warm and secure embrace. Posing a powerful question:

_ Will you stay with me? _

Eleni's back arched as she reached out to anchor her arms around Herakles' shoulders. A wordless answer:  _ I want to be with you.  _

The couple pulled apart to catch their breath. Nose to nose. Herakles gazed lovingly at Eleni, his own desire burning brightly. Eleni ached to lose herself in Herakles' kiss again, to burn with him in the fires of his passion.

"Was that...what you wanted?" Herakles asked Eleni breathlessly, puffs of air becoming steam in the cold February night.

Eleni closed her eyes and nuzzled Herakles' long nose softly. Showing affection was a distraction, whilst her poor melted brain recovered from their intense kissing session! Her conscience tried to use self restraint. Her heart threw it out of the window harder than a demi-god throwing a shot put to the Sun at the Olympics! Eleni let her heart do the talking tonight. 

"Σε θέλω (I want you)," Eleni answered Herakles, in one short but hot gasp against his lips. Barely restrained desire burned in her eyes, as she gazed back up at Herakles.

"Will you show me...how Greeks kiss?" Eleni whispered hotly, bringing her hand down from around Herakles' shoulder, and tracing his kiss swollen lower lip with her thumb.

Herakles raised one of his long, dark eyebrows questioningly.

"I thought you already knew how... _ I felt it…"  _ Herakles teased her, smiling with affection at the memory of not just now, but their previous passionate kiss too less than a year ago.

Eleni smiled back, tracing Herakles' jaw now with light, delicate fingers.

"Why don't you show me what you know? Be my teacher,  _ Κύριε Ηρακλής (Mr Herakles) _ " Eleni asked quietly by sweetly, emphasising the name of respect with a honeyed whisper. 

Herakles knew that she had him then. That he loves to pass on knowledge. To show the World the wonderful things his country and people have to offer. And he could never deny a request from his dear little compatriot. Especially one like  _ this. _

No more words were needed. Herakles leant down for another loving kiss, gently pushing Eleni down towards the bench. 

She stretched out her arms suddenly, palms against Herakles' shoulders.

"Wait! Not here please," Eleni pleaded quietly. "It's too cold and we might get caught!"

Herakles stopped and pulled back, bringing Eleni up with him. He looked apologetic, but Eleni leaned in to his ear.

"My room. It's  _ much warmer  _ there," She whispered sweetly. 

Herakles turned to whisper to her in return.

"It's going to get... _ a lot more warmer! _ " He promised sensually.

Eleni raised her eyebrows suggestively, and leant in to meet Herakles for another passionate kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is from a line in the My Chemical Romance song "Na na na" from their Danger Days album. It just really fit what Eleni wanted to say to Herakles!


	8. Sleeping Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleni passes out in a hotel lobby. A certain someone rescues her!

I'll just sit here for a while"

It had seemed like a good idea at the time to Eleni. 

She had been awake since 5am. Been dragged into a preparation meeting with Arthur Kirkland and his team. It was more like 'Grumpy Old Men with One foot in the Grave make Victor Meldrew impersonations' really. Followed by the bigger meeting at the European Parliament. Not much happened there today either. Not even Arthur creating a pink cloud of destruction scuffle with Francis of France! Or Ludwig of Germany busting a gasket over over-spending! Not even Antonio of Spain or Feliciano of Italy taking selfies with red-in-the-face Ludwig! Herakles hadn't said a word either, he was busy napping! 

Eleni was later dragged to a dinner in the evening that felt very much like... _ another  _ meeting!

Talk, chit-chat, look nice, nod your head, listen to everyone else nattering away about everything and nothing. None of the Nations are here except for Arthur, and he is unfortunately occupied. Shame really, because despite his initial prickly and cynical personality, Arthur can be hilarious. Start talking about "Good Omens" with him, and you'll both be rolling on the floor with laughter in minutes! 

It's 9pm now, and Eleni is quite thoroughly bored out of her tree!

Eleni wants to go back to bed to be frank. She's staring at the white table cloth. It's reminding her of soft white sheets, duvets and pillows.

_ Can I just curl up somewhere for forty winks?  _ She thinks desperately.

_ Who are you? Herakles of Greece?  _ Her conscience chides her mentally.

Oh. Herakles Karpusi. That one personification of a nation that can take a nap here, there, and everywhere! That one man that makes time slow down, and she feels light as a feather floating in space in his presence. That one man who makes Eleni's heart beat faster. 

_ The one who I'd rather be with right now...and he's not here. _ Eleni thinks. Disappointment isn't quite the right description for Eleni's feelings right now. More like pining like a love-struck idiot!

_ You could message him...you have his number! You're friends, right?  _ Another part of Eleni's conscience suggests. The side that tends to make less sensible suggestions and gets Eleni into trouble!

_ Ah yes, hello devil on the shoulder. You old scallywag! Long time no see. The last time I listened to you, I wore a red dress and got myself into a ton of trouble!  _ Eleni mentally thinks to herself.

Well, to be fair, there is no one else to talk to. Why not herself? Just, not out loud because everyone will look at her like she's gone mad. Off her rocker. Stark raving bonkers and all that palava! Eleni knows she's a mad lad, but the rest of the room doesn't need to know that too!

So internal conversation it is then. Well, more like a battle of wills between good, chaotic mischief because evil is too strong a word, and Eleni in the middle! 

_ Well if you hadn't worn the red dress, would you have Herakles' number?  _ The shoulder devil makes a convincing come back.

_ Probably by more innocent means than seduction, you heathen!  _ The goody-two-shoes conscience retorts.

_ Would you have danced with him? Been held in his arms? Kissed him... _ The shoulder devil gets bolder.

_ Don't tempt her with things she can't remember!  _ The conscience hits back.

_ Oh. Of course. I don't remember because I drank too much wine!  _ Eleni laments bitterly in her thoughts.  _ I only know it happened because Francis decided to record us on video for his match-making scheme! _

_...What would it be like to kiss Herakles? Feel his lips...against mine? Would he be warm, like his cheek-kisses? Soft, like his voice? _

The loud scraping of chairs against the floor throws Eleni out of her reverie and face plants her back into harsh reality. Everyone at Eleni's table is leaving. The dinner meeting is over.

_ Guess I get to go back to bed after all!  _ Eleni thinks. It isn't celebratory though. Not when the shoulder devil is suggesting that bed would be better with a certain Greek nation in it!

The drive back to the hotel literally puts the battle of wills in Eleni's head to bed. Almost Eleni to bed too, her head keeps drooping and eyes closing. The only thing keeping her awake is the rough seat belt against her neck!

It isn't much better when Eleni reaches the hotel lobby. Her legs feel like lead. Her knees like jelly. Her body feels like The Leaning Tower of Piza, and would you look at that, her feet have conveniently gone on strike too at the same time! 

That is when Eleni sees it, like the mirage of an oasis in the middle of the desert. The kind with palm trees and a small lake, not the indie rock band! We know Eleni is from Manchester too, but please! So if she didn't see the Gallagher Brothers, what did she then?

A sofa. With no one sitting on it!

It's a welcome respite. It seems too far now from here to her hotel room. 

_ I'll just sit here for a while, what harm will it do?  _ Eleni thinks to herself.

So she sits. Closes her eyes. Breathes deeply. Drifts out of consciousness.

*******************************************

Herakles is listening to his team chatter away who are all high on alcohol and caffeine. He is grateful that France has a late night coffee culture too. He feels much stronger at night. He would love to be out for longer, go dancing even! But there is nowhere here playing Greek music. It's also a weekday, and he has to return home later in the day. He can feel his people around him tiring too, as they all walk back to their hotel.

Herakles is wondering what he will do now, as everyone piles into the hotel lobby. His eyes drift around the lobby. He spots someone on a sofa, in a half-lying down position.

_ Someone didn't make it to their hotel room… _ Herakles thinks. 

He is about to move on, when he feels a pull from within. A magnet inside of him, drawing him to the sleeping person on the sofa.

Curious, Herakles steps closer to the sofa. One step. Two step.

_ Is that...a Greek sleeping there?  _ Herakles thinks, wondering why he feels the need to get closer.

As he gets closer, he can see that the sleeping person is a woman. A young one. Dark hair splayed out against the sofa like an ink splatter. Dressed smartly, with a black and blue Japanese style top that dips deeply at the chest. A short black jacket covers her arms. Well fitted trousers. Attractive.

_ Why is this young woman here? She is vulnerable... _ Herakles thinks. Perhaps it's the need to protect his own people that is drawing Herakles in. True that they are in a hotel lobby. But anyone could still hurt or kidnap a sleeping woman, even in here.

Herakles reaches the sofa. The pull from his Greek people magnet within feels even stronger now. He was right, this young woman is Greek. On closer inspection, Herakles recognises her face. He gasps quietly in shock.

_ Eleni?! _

Looking even closer to make sure, Herakles sees her dark arched eyebrows. Long dark eyelashes. Her very Greek looking nose. Lips that he is used to seeing open in a smile, or wide open with laughter. Looking further down, Herakles spots a mole peeking out on Eleni's chest.

_ Yeah...it's her... _ Herakles realises in surprise. 

He sits down next to her. Puts his hands around her shoulders. 

"Eleni?" He says gently. No response.

He gently moves her back and forth from the shoulders. Eleni's body just goes with the flow, and her head flops further down. Herakles can hear Eleni breathing though. She is sleeping like a log!

"Góri (Girl), this is no place to be asleep!" Herakles gently chides her, but finds himself smiling with affection. Still no response.

Herakles wonders if he should just stay with her, here on the sofa. Keep her warm. Keep her safe, until she wakes up. But he also knows that if he falls asleep here in the lobby, he is vulnerable too. It isn't a meeting room with other nations, or a field, or his mother's ruins.

With no other choice, Herakles makes a decision. He stands up, and carefully picks up his sleeping compatriot.

*********************************************

Herakles stands patiently in the Lift. As patiently as he can, with Eleni in his arms. He looks over to her face. Still fast asleep, away from the World. Her head resting against his shoulder.

"Góri...please wake up...I want to talk to you," Herakles pleads with Eleni quietly. Still no response.

There is no one else in the lift, just the two of them.

Herakles starts thinking.

_ We are alone in an elevator. The last time this happened, it was the night of the Ball. We kissed. Held each other. _

Herakles looks down at Eleni. She's still leaning her head against him, and breathing deeply. Her face is turned more towards his chest. 

_ You look so peaceful when you sleep.  _ Herakles thinks as he looks at her. She may not be awake, but Herakles is grateful that they are together anyway.

Out of a burst of affection, Herakles leans down and kisses the side of Eleni's head.

The Lift/elevator pings cheerily, having arrived at the 5th floor.

Herakles steps out, and heads to his hotel room.

Finding his door key card is proving slightly more troublesome than usual. Holding Eleni up with one arm now isn't the problem surprisingly enough. Herakles lifts rocks heavier than his little compatriot when he digs for ruins!

The actual problem, is where has the key card gone?

Herakles fishes in one trouser pocket. Then the other. Then his back trouser pockets. Then his jacket pocket. 

Herakles is confused.

He checks again.

Still no key card!

_ Anathematismena! (Damn it!)  _ Herakles thinks in frustration.

A light sigh brings Herakles' attention back to Eleni. As he looks down at her, something else catches his attention.

A glint of white plastic inside his shirt pocket.

_ Ah! Éh dó! (Ah! There it is!)  _ Herakles thinks, very relieved!

He has to jostle Eleni to move her away from his shirt pocket. She  _ still  _ doesn't wake up though!

Not even when Herakles kisses her head again, as thanks for helping him find his key card!

She does make a contented hum though.

He slides the key card into the door handle's slot, and enters his room back first. The last thing he wants is for the door to hit his precious cargo! Herakles has no qualms about where to put Eleni. He heads straight for his bed, and lays her carefully down on the mattress. He slips off her handbag from her shoulder, then her jacket. He hangs them up on the coat hanger by the door. 

Just in case Eleni wakes up, Herakles decides to prepare for bed in the bathroom instead. Even though Eleni had told him previously that naked bodies don't disturb her at all, waking up to a stripping Herakles might give her the wrong impression!

Teeth washed, and in a tight white shirt and midi shorts, Herakles comes back to his bed. Eleni hasn't moved at all, still away with the fairies! Herakles switches on the lamp on the bedside table nearest to Eleni. The light illuminates her peaceful face, but does nothing to wake her. 

Sighing in defeat, Herakles climbs into bed behind Eleni. The bed is double, and despite being a tall man, there is still room enough for two bodies in Herakles' hotel bed.

Not that Herakles was expecting to be sharing the bed with anyone tonight, let alone Eleni! 

_ This is to keep her safe!  _ Herakles tells himself.  _ She is one of my people by blood, I want to protect her!  _

_ I love my people...and I love her! _

Herakles is a thinker, a very deep thinker. His thoughts tend to wander. He rolls over to face Eleni, who has her back to him. 

_ Would I still want to protect her, and love her, if she wasn't Greek?  _ Herakles asks himself. 

He thinks of all the times they met at meetings. Her smiles. Their conversations. Her silly jokes. Her stories. Her laughter. Her kindness. The way she danced with him at the Nations Ball. Her voice when she serenaded him with his own National Anthem out in a field on a starry night. Their first kiss together when he'd picked her up and held her against his chest.

"Let me worship you, My God," Eleni had whispered passionately above him that night of the Nations Ball, lighting an inferno in Herakles' heart. Herakles finds himself wrapping his arms around Eleni's waist now, pulling her flush against him.

_ A shame she fell asleep before we could make love that night!  _ Herakles thinks ruefully. He had held Eleni then too as she slept, keeping her warm in the night. He had left when morning came though, to return to his own hotel room. This time, Eleni is in  _ his  _ bed.

_ What will she do when she wakes up? What will she say? Will she be bothered? She's never been angry at me before...will she still trust me?  _ Herakles worries.

More memories return to him, this time their video conversations over Skype. "I've got no money for any holidays right now...but I do have kisses for you! Will they do?" Eleni had told him.

So much flirting. So many kisses offered and blown through her laptop screen to him. So much sweetness and kindness, joy, jokes, and…

******************************************

"I can't wait to see you, it's been too long!" Eleni had told him once.

"It's only been two weeks?" Herakles had replied.

"Still too long for me!" Eleni had admitted cheerfully.

"What would you say if I told you I had to wait for letters, that would take weeks and months to come?" Herakles had challenged her.

"Oh God, I think my head would explode from the waiting!" Eleni had exclaimed, waving her hands around in a dramatic fashion. "You'd see a big red explosion on your letter and wonder if I had an accident with a tomato!"

Herakles was half amused and half perturbed. 

"Góri (Girl), please tell me that it would be a tomato? I could not spend a month worrying what happened to you!"

Eleni had laughed cheekily. "Yeah, I'd have thumped a tomato in frustration. If it was my brains, I wouldn't be able to write to you!"

"Oh, that poor tomato. What did it do to you to deserve being squashed?" Herakles had fake lamented jokingly.

"It could be a zombie tomato for all we know. It could be the start of 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes'!" Eleni had suggested, jokingly too. "Maybe I'd be a zombie too and it's my brains on your letter! Gasp! That would mean if you touch the red stain...you'd become a zombie too!"

Herakles had given it some thought. "...OK. We would both be zombies. It means we would be undead, right? Nothing to worry about!" He had shrugged nonchalantly.

"So you'd be OK with me writing 'Hello darling, I miss you, can I eat your brain when I come home?'" Eleni had asked, trying to hold back laughter .

"Why... would you want... to eat my brain?" Herakles had asked in confusion.

"Cos it's what zombies do! At least they do that in American Horror films!" Eleni had explained. Herakles had shaken his head.

"Ah, but... we would be Greek zombies. Not American. We would... do things the Greek way!" Herakles had proposed. "Maybe eat more meat...and Maghiritsa soup...instead of brains?"

Eleni had laughed out loud and clapped her hands, wiping away tears of joy.

"Aww, I love the way you think!" She had said. Then she added sweetly "I love you!"

********************************************

Herakles smiled at the memory and Eleni's affectionate words to him. He snuggled closer, putting his head over Eleni's shoulder. 

_ You are...precious to me!  _ Herakles thought affectionately, pressing a light kiss to Eleni's cheek. He'd changed his mind on waking her, now content to let her sleep. His eyes drifted down, catching sight of the long, raised pink scar down Eleni's arm. Eleni had joked that it was a 'battle scar', that she was a cyborg because she had metal in her arms and left shin to ankle. Herakles knew that she'd been the victim of a terrible accident. It had happened years ago, before they met. Herakles was fully aware that Eleni had been at Death's door.

A wave of grief hit Herakles at that moment. 

_ If she had died...we would have never have met! I...cannot allow anything like that...to happen to her again...while she is with me... _ Herakles makes a promise to himself and Eleni.

Ever since Eleni had told him that all she had were fractured memories from the night of the Ball, Herakles had agreed to take things slowly. That they would get to know each other better as friends first. Herakles had respected that, and respected Eleni's boundaries. 

Even with all the flirting between each other, Herakles would still respect Eleni's decisions and boundaries as she sleeps. Planting a light kiss at the base of Eleni's neck, Herakles whispers "I love you too", and closes his eyes to fall asleep. Eleni hums happily in her sleep.

*********************************************

_ It's so warm! Too warm!  _ Eleni thinks, as she opens her bleary eyes. She wonders why it is so bright too. 

_ Oh. I left the bed-side light on!  _ She thinks, as she focuses on the source of the light in her face.

Eleni reaches her arm out to turn it off at the switch. She feels a weight around her waist. She looks down at herself.

_ Oh. I'm still in my clothes. Must have been really tired last night!  _ Is the first thought.

_ Wait...are those hands around my waist?!  _ Is the second thought.

Startled, Eleni tries to turn around. The weight is heavy, restricting her. Panicking, she looks over her shoulder. She freezes in shock. Long brown hair is flowing down her shoulder. A long nose. Long dark eyebrows. Olive skin. Dishevelled shorter brown hair on his scalp. The smell of olives, musk, and coffee.

Eleni's panic halts in its tracks.

_ Herakles?!  _ She thinks in shock.  _ Am I...dreaming? _

Eleni decides to test this theory, by attempting to get up out of bed. Attempt being the word here, because Herakles has wrapped his strong arms around her waist!

_ Oh. I can't leave the bed...this might still be a dream though, where the duvet is actually trapping me?  _ Eleni thinks cynically. There is no way Herakles could really be with her, they didn't see each other yesterday! It makes no sense.

Still, Eleni shuffles around. She doesn't want to elbow Herakles, even if he is a dream. Eleni looks up, and around from the bed. The window is on the other side of the room. The wall decorations look different too. The smell of olives and musk is  _ very  _ strong in here!

_ This isn't my room... _ Eleni realises. She continues to shuffle around, until she is facing Herakles.

_ Am I really in Herakles' room?!  _ Eleni thinks, daring to hope.

A warm breath from Herakles fans out onto her face.

Eleni dares to reach out. She gently slides her index finger down the side of Herakles' jaw. It feels rough, the beginnings of stubble. More warm breath on her face as Herakles breathes steadily in and out. The odd snore coming out of his slightly open mouth.

_ Oh my goodness...it really is Herakles!  _ Eleni concludes, excitement building up inside.

_ He is asleep though. Don't do anything!  _ Her conscience warns her.

_ Still...I've never seen him asleep up close before...he's a Sleeping Beauty!  _ Eleni thinks, absolutely besotted. Maybe she is dreaming and it's wishful thinking because she missed Herakles lately. Maybe it is real and he is going to wake up soon.

_ He respected your boundaries, you should respect his!  _ Eleni's conscience reminds her.

_ Has he? Why is he cuddling you from behind then?  _ Eleni's shoulder devil pipes up.

_ That's a good point actually!  _ Eleni herself thinks. She can feel that her underwear is still on, top and bottom. Her fly is still zipped up too. She feels no pain anywhere. The only things missing, are her jacket and handbag. Eleni's eyes dart away to the rest of the room. She spots what she's been looking for; hung neatly from a tall coat stand by the hotel room door.

_ I don't remember coming in here...I sat down in the lobby... _ Eleni struggles to remember what happened last night. She doesn't think anything bad happened, surely a pain in her head would tell her?

_ Then again, is being in Herakles' arms a bad thing? I've wanted this for so long... _ Eleni finds herself pining.  _ I'm sure there's a good reason why I'm here! Herakles wouldn't want to hurt his own people! I'm safe here, right? _

_ Still, if this is real, I have to go back to my room. I'm going home today, I can't afford to miss the Eurostar!  _ Eleni frets, reality slapping her like a fish!

_ And if it's not real, there won't be any consequences... _ a sudden sly thought slides in from the shoulder devil, more sneakier than a snake tempting Eve to eat the fruit of knowledge!

Placing her trust in the country of her forefathers, Eleni leans in and nuzzles his nose gently. She slides her nose against Herakles' cheek, giving him the 'cat kiss' they've grown to give each other at meetings. A secret sign of affection.

No response.

He's still sleeping deeply.

That sudden sly thought from the shoulder demon bears forbidden fruit in Eleni's resolve.

She leans back in and kisses Herakles' lips. Chaste, gentle and lasting for a few seconds. She pulls away.

Still no response, even from Mr Greek Love God extraordinaire...who is currently a Sleeping Beauty!

_ What are you trying to do?! What if he gets angry?! There's a massive difference between cuddles and kissing someone while they sleep!  _ Eleni's conscience yells at her.

_ I just want to thank him for protecting me...nothing more...nothing less!  _ Eleni justifies in her head.  _ Anyway, I have to get out the bed. He has to wake up so I can get out! Kisses are nicer than pinches on the hands, right? _

With that, Eleni leans in for another kiss, this time deeper. She lightly cups Herakles' face and kisses him with long, slow and open mouthed kisses. Eleni feels and hears a hum from Herakles, his arms unfurling slightly. As Eleni pulls back, she feels Herakles' hands unlock from her waist, to rest on her sides.

Herakles' green and gold eyes blink owlishly, focusing. They go from bleary, to confused.

"Hmm?...E..Eleni?" He mumbles tentatively.

"Kaliméra,(Good morning)" Eleni greets him softly and quietly, smiling sweetly with affection.

Herakles takes a few moments to adjust to waking up.

"Kaliméra...you're awake" He greets her back groggily.

"Yeah...I think? I'm sure I'm still dreaming though," Eleni admits, still keeping her voice at a soft and quiet level. "Why else am I in bed with you?"

Herakles looks bashful.

"Oh...that...I found you asleep in the lobby last night," Herakles replies.

"The...lobby? How?" Eleni asks, confused.

"Yeah...you were asleep on a sofa," Herakles explains.

"Oh...so I didn't make it to my room then…" Eleni realises out loud.

"No...I tried to wake you, but you were...away with the...fairies? Is that how you say it?" Herakles uses Eleni's British slang.

Eleni giggles lightly above a whisper.

"You're so cute," She tells him, and presses a light kiss on his nose. "And yeah, that's right. It can mean not concentrating, or fast asleep. So...you brought me here?"

"Yeah...I was worried about you," Herakles admits. "Are you...OK?"

_ Oh ye of little faith!  _ Eleni chides her conscience mentally now.  _ I knew he wouldn't hurt me! _

Eleni smiles brightly and lovingly at Herakles. 

"More than OK. I'm with you. Can I...thank you? For saving me last night?" She asks tentatively.

"Típoté Góri (It's nothing Girl)," Herakles waves away Eleni's offer of gratitude.

"Not even a kiss...from Sleeping Beauty to her Prince?" Eleni offers. It's clear that Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" film is one of her favourites, don't let her fool you into thinking that she isn't a romantic fool!

Herakles smiles that beautiful open smile that rivals the Sun, and made Eleni realise that maybe she was in love with him months ago. But Eleni is still in denial!

"Like Selene watched Endymion sleep...like Eros loved Psyche in the dark…" Herakles uses Greek Mythology.

Eleni doesn't know who moved first. At this point, she doesn't care. All she knows is Herakles is awake and kissing her! Her hands move to rake through the soft hair of Herakles' scalp. Herakles roves his hands up and down Eleni's back, clutching her tightly to him!

They keep kissing, growing more and more passionate, neither of them wanting to let go. Neither of them willing to break apart. Neither wanting to wake up from this dream, if it is a dream. It could still be a dream. Why else would Eleni get to be this close to not only a Nation, but one she loves dearly? Why else would Herakles get to be this close with one whom he loves dearly? These things don't happen to either of them. It is the stuff of dreams.

Which gets a rude awakening as the alarm on Eleni's mobile phone sings from across the room. It's tucked away inside Eleni's handbag, but still playing very loudly! A pretty piece of music played on pipes, from a beloved video game. But the darn thing won't be beloved for much longer since it refuses to stop playing!

The friends-becoming-lovers keep kissing rebelliously, refusing to break apart.  _ Yeah take that, stupid alarm! We're Greeks and we do things our way, ha! _ Until, 30 seconds in, and Eleni pulls away.

"I'm going to get that, because one, it's going to annoy me. And two, it's also my ringtone. Could be Arthur calling me?" Eleni explains reluctantly.

Herakles releases Eleni, and she rolls over out of the bed. She hurries to her bag, because  _ damn it it's bloody freezing out here now!  _ She checks the phone, stops the alarm, and tosses the phone back in the bag. A stark realisation halts her in her tracks.

_ The alarm went off. I'm wide awake now. Wait, this is Herakles' room for real?!  _ Eleni realises in her head.

_ I'm not dreaming. This is real! _

More alarms are going off now, this time in Eleni's head.

_ We were kissing...for real. He kissed me for real. We're not drunk either! Oh my glob, oh my God… _

Eleni goes into mental panic mode, burying her face in her hands.

"Eleni? Are you OK?" Herakles calls out, sounding concerned. Eleni doesn't move, or answer. She's stuck in freeze mode. 

_ What do I do? The alarm has gone off...I have to get ready to leave...but I'm here with Herakles at last... _ Eleni tries to rationalise in her head the best course of action. Taking a deep breath to calm down, she lifts her hands from her face to look over at Herakles.

_ I can't just leave him hanging though...this isn't fair... _ Eleni laments in her head.

Strong arms and a warm body hold her close. Eleni looks up in surprise. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't even hear Herakles get out of bed, let alone sneak up on her.

"God, you scared me! I swear you're a Ninja Cat!" Eleni gasps in shock, which ends in light laughter.

"OK, I am not God, but you can leave me food as an offering," Herakles starts with a stoic expression on his face. This makes his joke that much funnier to Eleni, who giggles. "And guerilla warfare in World War 2 will do that to you!" He adds nonchalantly. Eleni shuffles around, smiles up at Herakles ruefully and buries her face in his chest.

"You...have to go...don't you?" Herakles asks her tentatively.

All he gets is a sad sounding "Mmhmm", feeling Eleni's voice vibrate through his chest. Her arms wrap around his waist, and her hands rub up and down his back slowly. Herakles rests his head on Eleni's, and they stay locked in this warm embrace for a few minutes. Eventually, Eleni pulls back. She only just notices that Herakles is not only in a tight T-shirt, but he is only wearing underwear down below and it's tight too! Herakles has a bit of a case of "Morning Wood" going on too...

_ Woah Mama...do I really have to leave now?!  _ Eleni and her shoulder devil protest in her head.

_ Well you could stay but you haven't any money to spare for another ticket home. Plus do you really want to upset Arthur? If you think your shoulder devil is bad, do you really want to see what abomination Arthur will summon in his anger?! You've seen that dark stain on the weird symbols in Arthur's basement... _

Well that was a quick decision maker!

"I just want you to know that I don't want to leave. But my pocket and Arthur say I have to," Eleni admits. Herakles nods once. He slowly lets down his arms from around Eleni, as she slowly pulls back to the coat stand. She takes her time putting her jacket on, stalling. Her handbag is next. Finally, her boots. Now she stands at Herakles' door, face to face with him again.

"When will we talk next? Or...will you let me know?" Eleni asks tentatively. She feels like with the cold realisation of reality, came the cold awkward atmosphere too.

"Are we...going to talk about...what just happened?" Herakles asks to the point.

Eleni knows exactly what he means. She sighs in resignation.

"That we woke up in your bed...and I thought I was dreaming...and I wanted to thank you for keeping me safe last night...so I...kissed you" Eleni tentatively explains.

"Do you thank everybody like that?" Herakles asks her. 

"No no!" Eleni blurts out in shock, reassuring Herakles. "Just...people I love," She adds and smiles ruefully.

Herakles' breath hitches. He is about to say something, but Eleni opens his door with a quick "Tha ta poúme! (We'll talk later) and leaves through the door.

Herakles is left with a question that he never got the answer for.

_ Do you love me as a friend still? Or…? _

Eleni frog marches to the Lift. As soon as the door opens, she runs in and presses the button. As the Lift heads down, Eleni puts her face in her hands and tries not to cry.

_ He saved me last night. We kissed. Now I have to leave him...again. And I've just realised that I am absolutely in love with him...and he must know by now! These things never work out for me...he'll run from me for sure now... _

_ I am doomed! _

The tears start falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "One foot in the Grave" is an old British sitcom, about a character called "Victor Meldrew", who is the archetypal grumpy old man. His catchphrase is "I don't believe it!".
> 
> The silly actions by the Nations in meetings refer to the canon Hetalia comic strips, and the anime series.
> 
> "Good Omens" is a TV series based on the book by Neil Gaimann and Terry Pratchett. It's a British comedy about an angel and a demon working together to stop the Antichrist from destroying the world. It's great, watch it if you can! You're in for a good laugh!
> 
> Palava is Northern England slang for "mess".
> 
> Forty winks is also slang for "nap/sleep".
> 
> The Leaning Tower of Piza is a famous landmark in Italy.
> 
> Oasis were a famous indie (short for Independent) rock band from Manchester, UK. They were fronted by brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher. They wrote the song "Wonderwall".
> 
> Greeks will eat late, and stay out late! 
> 
> Lift is British for elevator.
> 
> Attack of the Killer Tomatoes was a cartoon series in the 1990s. It was weird but funny!
> 
> The Eurostar is the train that travels underground from the UK to France and back. The Eurotunnel was built under the sea!


	9. Do me a Favour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herakles receives an unusual request from Eleni. He goes above and beyond to help his little compatriot feel better.

_Can I ask a favour from you today please?_

Herakles read the message from Eleni. This was unusual. She didn't make requests as blunt as this. Curious and concerned, Herakles tapped out a reply.

_Herakles: Sure. What is it?_

Three little dots appeared at the bottom of his phone screen. Eleni was typing. Her reply arrived within seconds.

_Eleni: Are you free tonight? After the meeting?_

_Herakles: I have no plans. Do you want to meet?_

_Eleni: This might sound silly but, can you hold me?_

Herakles was a little confused by this request.

_Herakles: Hold you? I don't get it._

_Eleni: Oh sorry. Here it is in Greek: Μπορείς να με αγκαλιάσεις σε παρακαλώ;_

Herakles stared at the message. Eleni was asking politely if he could hug her later. This was odd. They hug every time they meet. People don't ask for hugs, unless…

 _Something is wrong!_ Herakles thought, becoming very concerned.

_Herakles: Are you OK? What happened?_

_Eleni: Can I tell you after the meeting?_

_Herakles: Sure. Meet me at my hotel room._

_So something is wrong, but she cannot tell me now..._ Herakles thought. He looked across the auditorium to the United Kingdom group. Eleni was writing diligently, just doing her job. No messaging. No winking. No flirting. Not her usual herself.

Herakles hoped that he could help her later. Later can't come soon enough for him.

*********************************************

Herakles was in the middle of slipping off his jacket, when he heard it. A gentle knock on his hotel room door. Taking big strides, he rushed to open the door.

Standing there, looking very nervous and despondent, was Eleni in her work suit.

"...Hi..." She said weakly, and smiling briefly.

This definitely wasn't like Eleni at all, and it worried Herakles.

"What's wrong? Tell me?" Herakles asked, bringing Eleni further into the room and closing his door.

Eleni looked away to the side, holding her arm, face struggling to stay neutral.

"I'm sorry...I…" She began, struggling for words. She looked left to right, embarrassed.

Herakles reached out to cup the side of Eleni's face. She looked up at him then. Green and gold eyes filled with worry and warmth looked back at her. 

"Έλα Μικρή μου σε μένα (Come to me My little one)" Herakles said to her in hushed but tender tones.

Pursing her lips, Eleni lifted out her arms. Herakles met her half-way, enveloping her in his strong arms. Eleni leant her head against Herakles' chest, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Silence filled the room, save for the soft sounds of Herakles petting Eleni's hair softly from time to time. When Herakles looked down, he saw that Eleni had closed her eyes tightly. 

_She...really must have needed this._ Herakles thought. _I wonder why she chose me, and not Arthur? I will wait until she is ready to speak. She is one of my people too!_

They stayed like that for a few minutes, wrapped in each other. Eventually, Eleni lifted her head. Herakles looked down to make eye-contact with her. Eleni still looked embarrassed and struggling for words. Herakles petted the back of her scalp slowly, like one of his beloved cats.

"Τί έπαθες; (What happened to you?)" Herakles asked her gently.

Eleni ducked her full face in to Herakles' chest. Her shoulders began to shake.

Herakles breath hitched.

 _It must be bad...for her to do that!_ Herakles thought in alarm. In his mind, he focused in on the little compatriot in his arms. From Eleni, he felt waves of anguish. Hurt. Doubt. Betrayal. Anger. Feelings of being lost and not knowing what to do.

So Herakles stood there, and let Eleni weep quietly. He lay his head down to rest on top of Eleni's. She welcomed him, holding him tighter. Eventually, she began to talk. She laid it all out in harsh whispers and wracked sobs. Herakles listened intently and with sympathy. He didn't say much, just the odd question to prompt her.

Like the rain stops when the clouds have moved on, Eleni stopped crying eventually and wiped her eyes. Herakles reached to hand her a tissue, but she dismissed it with a grateful smile and took out one of her own.

"I'm, er, sorry you had to see me as a leaking tap and snotty mess!" Eleni apologised quietly, trying to lighten the mood. Herakles rolled his eyes.

"Κόρη! (Girl!) You were upset, very hurt! It is to be expected," Herakles comforted her. "I was surprised you came to me, and not Arthur. But...now I understand why."

"Thank you for listening to me," Eleni said, voice still trembling from the aftermath of crying.

"It's nothing, friends listen to each other." Herakles replied warmly. "We are friends, we do get along well, yes?" He asked her.

A genuine warm smile appeared on Eleni's face then. Herakles thought the Sun had come out from behind the rain clouds in that moment.

"Yeah, course we are! And I think we get on like a house on fire personally," Eleni replied quietly but with enthusiasm. Herakles tilted his head in confusion.

"It's a phrase, it means to get along very well!" Eleni explained.

Now it was Herakles' turn to smile warmly. 

"Ah! Good...now, how about we do what friends who get along very well do?" Herakles asked her gently.

Eleni tilted her head to the side in question.

"Come out with me for food!" Herakles replied.

Eleni smiled openly and nodded.

********************************************

Wherever there are Greeks, there is sure to be a Greek restaurant. Still Eleni was pleasantly surprised to find herself in one in Strasbourg, having dinner opposite Herakles. No big group of politicians. Just the two of them, at a candle-lit table.

"You haven't shared any of your theories with me for a while," Eleni had commented, "Have you any more thoughts on your Chaos & Cats theory? Any new theories? What's on your mind?" She had asked him, genuinely interested.

Herakles had raised his eyebrows with surprise and smiled. Throughout their Mezethes of small but delightful dishes, Herakles talked about how cats could set off random events in outer space. Eleni did ask some questions on if cats could send up enough chaotic energy to influence a meteor shower. 

Through the main course, Herakles talked about the relationship between the passage of time and Moussaka. Eleni suggested that they test out his theory on the Moussakas they were currently eating. 

Even dessert couldn't stop Herakles from talking, as he spoke about the poet and bard Homer's ideas on 'arete'; true happiness. Eleni joked that she was experiencing true happiness by eating a juicy and soft Baklava. Herakles had no doubt about that. The way she licked the honey off the spoon and made small hums of pleasure was very distracting! He couldn't stop staring. Or wishing that he was the spoon!

"OK...are we done? Or...would you like a coffee?" Herakles had asked Eleni later. Eleni had thought, bit her lip and looked a little guilty.

"Can we have a coffee?" She asked tentatively.

Herakles smiled warmly, ordering 2 cups of Greek coffee.

The conversation flowed as they sipped their hot, rich and sweet Greek coffee. Herakles talked about some more ruins that he had dug up recently, found under the foundations of a car park. Eleni listened with intent again, and fired off questions about what the building used to be and who it may have belonged to.

The theory of time flying when you're having fun was certainly proven that night. Before the Greek pair knew it, it was time to pay the bill and leave! Herakles insisted that he pay for both of them, but Eleni managed to slap down a pile of Euros just as the waiter arrived. She took one of Herakles' hands in both of hers.

"Hey. You have done _more_ than enough for me tonight," Eleni told him quietly but sweetly, bringing his hand up to her lips and kissing his knuckles reverently.

Herakles' breath hitched in his throat. Belatedly he realised that this was the perfect location and atmosphere to develop a romance. Herakles gazed at Eleni, as she eyed him with gratitude, warmth, and _something else_ that felt suspiciously like Love.

 _I could kiss her too...I should kiss her..._ Herakles thought.

The spell was broken when the waiter returned with their change, and blew out the candle lights.

After leaving the restaurant, Eleni turned to Herakles with a twinkle in her eye, and a cheeky smile.

 _She's back to normal...I'm glad!_ Herakles thought. He could feel a wave of adventure washing over him from Eleni to him.

"So...it's a really nice night tonight. The moon and stars are out! Shall we...take a slow walk?" Eleni suggested.

Herakles smiled, and took Eleni's hand. 

_His hand is so warm, who needs gloves!_ Eleni thought in excitement.

On the slow walk back to the hotel, they kept stopping to observe constellations in the sky. Eleni would ask about the Ancient Greek stories behind their names, and Herakles was happy to tell her.

On a quiet street with no people or cars passing by, Herakles came to a stop under a street lamp. He turned to face Eleni, who was looking up at him curiously.

"Can I ask you...for a favour?" Herakles asked Eleni, repeating her question from earlier on in the day.

Eleni smiled ruefully and ducked her head, biting her lip. On lifting back up to face Herakles, she was smiling widely.

"Considering that you granted my cheeky favour of hugging me in your hotel room earlier, and you took me out for dinner of your own accord...I'd say I owe you big time!" Eleni replied with humour. Herakles was still smiling and still holding her hand, waiting for an answer.

"Seriously though...what is it?" Eleni asked softly and sweetly, inviting Herakles to make his request. He took a deep breath, and let it out steadily.

"Μπορείς να με φιλήσεις;" Herakles asked softly.

Eleni's eyes widened and blinked a few times in shock. It took a few moments for her to get her bearings. To process word for word what was being asked of her.

After what seemed like an eternity to Herakles, Eleni smiled openly.

Without a word, she stepped closer to Herakles. Toe to toe. Her head at his chest. She stepped up on her tip-toes and leaned in to grant Herakles' favour:

Could she kiss him.

Herakles was met with warm lips moving slowly and lovingly against his. Chaste closed mouth kisses became open mouthed, but still unhurried. Herakles felt every gentle press, every sigh, the warmth, and the devotion that Eleni was pouring into this kiss. It felt like he was in space, in his own galaxy. Eleni made him feel like he was a beautiful planet, and she was a moon spinning around him.

Eleni finished with a closed mouth kiss, and pulled back gently. She was gauging Herakles' reaction, with a small, unsure smile. Herakles smiled warmly at her, leant down and wrapped his arms around her for another kiss.

*********************************************

They kissed again on another quiet patch of street. Again under an alcove outside the hotel. And again in the Lifts/Elevator on the way to their hotel rooms. When the doors opened, Eleni stepped out with Herakles. They looked at each other for a few moments. Eleni took Herakles' hand and squeezed her palm gently against his, interlocking their fingers. An unspoken statement.

_I'm coming with you._

Herakles smiled his warm and disarming grin, making Eleni swear that she was seeing fireworks. He gently pulled Eleni with him to his hotel room door.

"Can I ask you...for another favour?" Eleni asked Herakles tentatively.

"Hmm?" Herakles hummed invitingly.

"...Μπορώ να μείνω μαζί σου απόψε σε παρακαλώ; (Can I stay with you tonight please?)" She asked quietly.

"Always so polite!" Herakles commented sweetly. "You can stay on one condition..." He replied.

Eleni waited, as Herakles leant down to her forehead.

"...don't leave me tonight!" He whispered passionately.

Eleni broke out into quiet chuckling and pulled him into another kiss. Herakles fumbled with his front door key card, and opened the door. Still kissing, Herakles headed back first and gently pulled Eleni inside the room. He pulled her into his bedroom. And pulled her down with him into his bed.

*********************************************

Herakles woke to muffled but lively music playing. The mattress next to him shifted, and a brief flash of cold air made him flinch further into the warm duvet. Yet, he still felt colder than before.

A hushed voice reached his ears from the other end of the room. A few whispered words that he couldn't make out. Then silence reigned once more. Bleary eyed and still tired, Herakles drifted off to sleep again.

Flashes of events replayed in his dream. Holding a warm body close to him. Discussing theories at a candle-lit table over dinner with a familiar face. Kissing on a quiet street under a starry sky. More kissing, with a soft body in his arms, and softer pants of his name.

He could hear that sweet voice now, getting louder.

"Herakles?"

A kiss to his cheek.

 _That felt...real…_ Herakles thought, daring to open his eyes. In time to feel a warm kiss to his lips. Just as Herakles was about to kiss back, the kiss ended, and the face from his dream pulled back with a loving smile.

"Καλημέρα (Good Morning)", Eleni greeted him warmly, leaning over him. Herakles reached to pull her down for another kiss, but she shook her head sadly.

"I'm sorry hun, I've got to go. Arthur called, we have an early meeting before the big one today," Eleni explained quietly. Herakles is certain he could hear the disappointment in her voice. Opening his eyes fully, he noticed that Eleni was fully dressed, with her hair tied up.

She leaned in and planted another short kiss on his lips.

"Ευχαριστώ πάρα πολύ (Thank you very much) for last night!" She added sweetly. Giving him a customary kiss on each cheek, and one last peck, she bid him a quiet "see you later!" with a wink. Like a breeze, she took off and left. The hotel room door closed quietly behind her. 

Herakles sat up. He wondered if he had just dreamt that Eleni had been in the room with him. He lifted the duvet to check the sheets underneath.

They were far more creased than usual!

He smelled the second pillow. It smelled of tea tree, with vanilla and rose water. Herakles smiled in relief.

_I wasn't dreaming. She was here!_ Herakles thought happily.

More flashes from last night played in his memory:

_They had kissed throughout the night. Both of them sober and fully present in the moment. Herakles had pulled back to see Eleni's reactions. Eleni would smile and lean back in for more kisses, more touches, peeling off clothes to reach more skin. Herakles had his hands full of Eleni's soft, warm skin above him. Eleni had roved her hands slowly across Herakles' chest, and down his harder, sculpted abdominals._

_Herakles had listened to Eleni's request to keep their underwear on and not go all the way. Still, the night had been full of passion. Eleni had undulated her hips against Herakles', like waves against the shore. Herakles had held her close to meet every movement. Match her rhythm. Keep turning her on. Eleni was just as keen to turn him on too. Hands all over each other's bodies. Heated kisses. Heated whispers of each others' names as they rocked faster together. Herakles still felt like he was making love, feeling so good, too good. When he felt Eleni tremble above him, a rush of heat against his hips, and her head fall back with a broken wail of his name, Herakles wasn't far behind in coming too. Eleni had collapsed soon after onto his chest. She rolled over a while later to curl into Herakles' side. Yet Herakles had patience and stamina. With more kisses and touches growing passionate again, Herakles rolled over, looking down at Eleni beneath him. Her dishevelled hair splayed out behind her. Warm brown eyes watching him with desire. Lips panting "Έλα Γλυκιά μού! (Come here My Sweet), fingers motioning for Herakles to come closer._

_He swears he heard Eleni say "Σ'αγαπώ" (I love you) many times that night._

Herakles was fully aware that they are more than just friends now. All the flirting. The kissing. The dates. They had been in bed together twice now.

 _What do they call this in English? Friends with Benefits?_ Herakles thought. He certainly has a friend with many benefits! But he couldn't help but think that he would prefer to talk to his 'friend' more often. Be with her more often. Wake up with her more often.

  
 _Be with her more often...the Meeting!_ Herakles realised. He got out of bed to start his day. Work may be a necessity to get ready for. But a certain 'friend' would do him a favour of making it more fun later.


	10. Valentines Card

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The European Nations are writing each other Valentines Cards. Eleni becomes inspired to give Valentine Card creation one last go, for a certain special Greek nation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the Good Together Valentines Prompts Day 6: Card

Another day, another meeting. Eleni couldn't complain though. How many people could say they got to sit with personifications of the Nations of the World as a job? Talk to the very people who symbolised each country? They had been alive through several generations of people. So much knowledge! So much experience!

And surprisingly still  _ very human _ , as Eleni was discovering. As she passed by tables to leave the meeting auditorium for break time, she heard someone humming. The kind of humming that maybe Snow White would do whilst she worked. A happy working hum! There just needed to be seven dwarves, and an army of cute forest animals, and the scene would be complete.

This wasn't a Disney movie though. Just Feliciano of Italy sat at his desk, with a pencil in his hand. He was busy drawing. But not busy enough apparently. As soon as Eleni carefully stepped past, Feliciano looked behind him.

"Ah! Ciao bella (Hello pretty girl)!" He cried out joyfully, practically jumping out of his chair.

_ "Feliciano Vargas of Italy. Usually happy. Very excitable. Loves pasta, art and girls. He gets distracted by girls, so be careful if you go near him!"  _ Arthur Kirkland of the UK had told Eleni when she started her job.

"Hi Feliciano!" Eleni replied cheerfully, leaning in to give the North Italy Nation custom kisses on each cheek in greeting. "That's a pretty drawing, did you start that today?" She asked him. Feliciano looked more pleased than usual, and that was saying something!

"Oh this? Yeah! Can you keep a secret?" He whispered. Eleni blinked in surprise, but nodded. She leant in closer as Feliciano began to whisper some more.

"It's a Valentines Card for Ludwig!" Feliciano whispered excitedly. Eleni pulled back in pleasant surprise, covering her mouth. She leant back in to whisper to Feliciano.

"That's lovely! I'm sure he'll love it! It looks great so far!" Eleni complimented Feliciano's idea and work in hushed tones. Feliciano thanked her, and then got back to work. Still humming more happily than a Disney Princess doing house chores!

Feliciano wasn't the only Nation getting creative today with Valentines cards. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo of Spain was scribbling away at his desk too. Eleni sneaking past still distracted him too unfortunately!

Another friendly greeting. A few more kisses. Wow, don't these Mediterranean Nations get sore lips or cold sores from all this kissing?! Maybe it's the Sunshine. Or being distracted by pretty people! Eleni found out that another card was being written, for a very different Nation. 

"This is for Romano Vargas? South Italy?" Eleni whispered in shock.

"Yeah, I write one every year for him. But please don't tell him what I'm doing, it's a surprise!" Antonio replied.

"Oh, OK OK. So how long have you been sending him Valentines cards?" Eleni whispered in curiosity.

"Oh. Let's see...many years now! I lost count…" Antonio thought hard, chuckling at the end. Eleni nodded with pleasant surprise. She complimented Antonio on his efforts, wished him good luck, and went on her merry way. Her stomach was calling out for Lunch. The rumbling and the whining noises could have been mistaken for a volcano! Eleni tried but failed to ignore her heart calling for a certain Nation too.

"Have you ever sent, or been sent a Valentines Card?"

Herakles Karpusi of Greece blinked owlishly at Eleni's question. He put his hand to his chin and thought deeply, eyebrows frowning with the effort. After a few minutes, Herakles was ready to answer.

"No...And no." He replied simply.

"What?! Really?!" Eleni asked in surprise, short of yelling. To her, this was scandalous! "You really haven't sent or been sent a Valentine's Card, ever?!" 

Herakles shrugged. "Valentine's Day is big in Greece, celebrated by many people. But I don't send cards. No one has sent me any either," He replied. He didn't sound bothered by it, but Eleni still felt sad. Greek people were famous for their passion. It certainly took Eleni by surprise that a nation famous for passion, didn't get any Valentine's cards.

"...What would you do if you got one?" Eleni asked Herakles. He looked surprised again. Apparently today was 'Let's see how many times we can surprise a pair of Greeks' day. Someone call in the Guinness Book of World Records people!

"I...don't know," He answered honestly. Eleni accepted it, and said nothing more.

"...Why did you ask?" Herakles asked Eleni a question now. Of course. Once you stoke an inquisitive mind, you're going to be asked questions right back.

"Well, without giving out any names because I swore to secrecy, I saw some Nations writing and drawing Valentine's Cards today," Eleni explained, leaning in to Herakles as if she was dishing out information to a beaten down Detective in an old Film Noir movie. "I even saw Roderich of Austria with a fountain pen and looking nervous as he wrote. I'm telling you now, Roderich doesn't use fountain pens in meetings!" Eleni added, as if she'd uncovered a major clue for a criminal case.

"Oh...that is not such a big secret…" Herakles replied mysteriously. Eleni tilted her head in question. Herakles leant down lower to whisper in her ear.

"Everyone in Europe knows Roderich was married to Elizaveta of Hungary. When the Austro-Hungarian empire was dissolved, Roderich and Elizaveta still cared for each other. Every year, they send each other Valentines cards," Herakles revealed quietly.

Eleni pulled back, looking touched. All this talk of cute gestures for Valentine's Day was getting the creative cogs in her head turning. She had given up on sending Valentine's Cards a long time ago. She had told Herakles that too. Yet, from what she heard today, ideas were taking shape in Eleni's brain. Herakles watched Eleni thinking.

"Would you like to tell me what's on your mind?" Herakles asked Eleni, curious. He could tell she was hatching a plan.

"Ah, just reflecting on what I've seen and heard today. I had no idea Nations did this too. It's like being back in school again, catching people writing Valentine's Cards, and finding out secret crushes...very hush hush business you know!" Eleni replied honestly, but on the verge of snickering. 

"Are you thinking of sending a card too? I thought you had given up?" Herakles asked bluntly.

_ Oof, ouch! This man is sharper than a Gucci suit made out of knives!  _ Eleni thought. She shrugged, attempting to play it cool. 

"I had. I still don't know. I get shot down anyway, not much point really," Eleni replied honestly. 

Now it was Herakles' turn to look scandalised. He approached Eleni and took both of her hands in his larger warm, calloused hands.

"If you have someone you love...you should tell them. Plato said, that love aims at beautiful and good things, because this brings happiness. If you want to bring happiness to someone, and be happy yourself...don't give up. Show them...in the way you know how," Herakles told Eleni, softly but with his signature passion in his voice. 

Eleni listened intently, Herakles' words ignited liquid fire in her veins and arteries. Her heart was on fire, and she felt her resolve rise from the ashes like a Phoenix. How apt, considering that the Phoenix is a symbol of Greece. Eleni smiled endearingly at Herakles, gently maneuvering her hands to press against Herakles' palms, and twine their fingers together.

"You've got a good way with words you know," Eleni began softly, "Very persuasive, when you want to be!"

"What can I say? Years of negotiating," Herakles replied, squeezing his palms more firmly against Eleni's. 

_ I want to tell him that he's so persuasive, I'd happily walk into his arms right now. Kiss him. Let him take me wherever he wants, I'll follow him anywhere.  _ Eleni thought desperately. Somewhere between her brain and her mouth, the message got stuck in the mental photocopier.

"Be careful with what you say...you might persuade someone to do something crazy…" Eleni warned Herakles playfully, stepping a little closer to him. Almost at his chest.

"Hmm? Like what?" Herakles challenged, leaning a little closer down to Eleni's level. Almost brushing noses.

"Ooh, I don't know...write a Valentines Card for someone special?" Eleni suggested, still looking at Herakles like the Moon overlooks the Earth.

"Whoever it is...is very lucky…" Herakles replied, smiling so warmly that it rivaled the Sun. The magnetic pull was getting stronger, Eleni felt herself moving closer, tilting her head. Herakles also tilted his head-

"Where is my bastard brother with that damned Neapolitan?! I want my coffee, stupid!" yelled Romano Vargas of South Italy, as he stormed past the break room. Eleni and Herakles stopped, and moved apart with practised ease. Romano was gone just as quickly as he arrived, faster than the trains at Manchester Victoria Train Station on a busy Monday morning!

Eleni leant in to Herakles, shoulders shaking with quiet laughter. Herakles held her close to him in relief too, laughing slowly and deeply. They'd only just realised that they were the last ones left in the room. For all they cared, they could be the last ones left in the World.

*********************************************

Eleni didn't want an Apocalypse to happen though. Or for her to be the last human with her certain someone special! No, she had an important task to do. One not given by Arthur Kirkland for a change! She had 24 hours to complete and hand in this task.

First stop, was a Stationary shop.

Eleni didn't go down to dinner in the hotel that evening, opting for a take-away instead. She ordered some salad as a side, to take away the guilty feeling of eating unhealthy food, again! Still, she had her tools now: 

Card. Pencil. Black fine-liner pen. Rubber. Sharpener. Crayola Pencils. Envelope.

Eleni decided she wasn't leaving the hotel room until her handiwork was complete! She prayed to all the deities and saints that she could think of, that she wouldn't be called away to work by Arthur. She also prayed that she wouldn't be called away by Herakles either. That hurt, let's not beat around the bush about that! 

_ This card is for him. It'll be worth it!  _ Eleni mentally encouraged herself, like a lonely cheerleader in a giant stadium.

_ It better be worth it... _ came a desperate thought, born from years of heart-break.

*********************************************

The Sun rising the next morning found Eleni still awake, rubbing her eyes, and sliding a finished card into an envelope. As carefully and neatly as her tired hand could go, she wrote the recipient's name on the envelope. She licked the envelope lid gum, and sealed the envelope shut. The envelope was tucked into Eleni's work folder.

_ Right. I'm done. I need a coffee!  _ Eleni mentally congratulated herself. Cheerleaders in her brain everywhere. Brain doing the Conga. Rocket balloons being set off! The full self celebratory works!

Catching a view of the time made the mental self-celebrations come to a screeching halt, and the mental rocket balloons hit the floor with a pathetic slurp and plop. Eleni let out a demonic screech of horror, and threw herself into the shower.

*********************************************

"Rough night?" Arthur Kirkland asked, as Eleni followed him sluggishly to their seats.

"No...was working," Eleni replied.

"What, your job work or a project?" Arthur asked, attempting light conversation.

"Project" Eleni went with that.

Arthur didn't have to know what kind of "Project" it was. He certainly didn't need to know about "Project Valentine" and its objective. 

"Love aims at beautiful and good things, to bring happiness" Herakles' words borrowed from Plato still rang in Eleni's ears, like the pretty pealing bells at the local Greek Church on a Sunday morning.

The objective being to make a beautiful card that would bring happiness.

"I hope it was worth it. You look exhausted!" Arthur commented, concerned.

"I hope so too," Eleni agreed with him, eyes glancing subtly across the room to the Greek table. Herakles looked as tired as she felt. She wondered what he had been doing to also burn the midnight oil. 

Breaktime arrived suddenly to Eleni's sleep deprived brain. Grabbing the envelope and hiding it in her suit jacket, Eleni stood up and began the next phase of "Project Valentine". 

All Eleni had to do was follow everyone at a steady pace as they left the auditorium. Blend in. Like Toon Link sneaking around walls at the Forbidden Fortress in "The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker" game. A barrel over her head would have been a bit over the top for Eleni. She just had to be subtle in taking a detour. 

She peeked around a wide, suited body in front of her. The Greek Team were leaving their table, along with Herakles. Eleni shuffled along, waiting for an opening. 

With no one at the table now, Eleni took her chance. She turned to the stairs and followed them down. People were still in her way, but that was fine. A few people blocking the view of the table would mask Eleni's actions. Or so she hoped. More shuffling behind slow moving folk. Shuffling. Shuffle. 

_ Everyday I'm shuffling...  _ The devil on Eleni's shoulder began to sing.

_ Please stop doing that!  _ Eleni's conscience played fun police.

_ Sorry not sorry!  _ The Shoulder devil replied cheekily. It's terrible what happens when the mind wanders…

Oh right there!

Herakles' seat.

Eleni lifted one flap of her suit jacket. A slight whip of the wrist.

The envelope dropped on the table quietly.

_ Phase 2 complete! Now, the waiting game.  _ Eleni thought to herself, moving along with the remaining crowd.

_ And get a cup of coffee!  _ Her conscience screamed more violently than Romano Vargas deprived of his favourite coffee!

*********************************************

Herakles had gone alone to the kitchen to make a cup of Greek coffee for himself. Usually Eleni came with him. He felt a little guilty, but today was different. He needed time to think. To put his thoughts into words. For those words to be put on paper.

Or in this case, a card.

Herakles had spent all night writing. Not a report due in the next morning as usual. Not notes on his theories of chaos and cats either. This was a creative endeavour. Borrowing knowledge from the Gods. This was new and exciting for Herakles! 

Well, it had been at midnight last night.  Now at 10.15am, Herakles felt like the Ancient Greek Gods had tipped him into the Aegean Sea in a chest and left him to flounder!

As Herakles sipped the rich, sweet and soothing liquid, he felt the raging seas in his mind calm down to gentle waves of Halcyon days. Storm clouds disappear to reveal the Sun. 

A smile as bright as the Sun with cheeky intentions. 

A laugh that was music to his ears.

Eyes the colour of his coffee, laced with eyelashes that shine.

The reason why Herakles was writing in the first place!

Herakles sighed, pulling out a small notepad from his trouser pocket. He scribbled a few lines down, inspired by his visions, fuelled by the coffee.

_ Quality takes time... _ Herakles thought as he wrote.

Time was not a luxury that he had, and he was running out of it. The warning bell for the end of break time reminded him of that. Still, Herakles figured that he might be able to write in the meeting too. His team didn't have to know that he was writing poetry, right? Maybe inspiration would strike him at the table, like Apollo's arrows.

Back in the meeting, Herakles stared into space, but his head was whirring with activity. He had his note pad out, ready. He looked down to write. Something caught his eye. A card was on the table in a crisp white envelope. His name written neatly in Greek.

Herakles stared at the writing.

He was certain he had seen it before.

Curiously, he picked up the envelope.

It would be too noisy to open it now, but Herakles still wanted to see if he could see through inside. There were solid colours and shapes. The envelope was too thick though, still hiding the secret inside.

_ A secret meant for me... _ Herakles thought. 

_ OK...if I can hold out to get my Independence and see better days...and see if my current abandoned stadiums will become tourist attractions in 1,000 years time...I can wait to see this card in private!  _ Herakles thought to himself.

By instinct, Herakles drifted his gaze to the UK table. Eleni was watching him with a knowing smile. She winked.

Suddenly Herakles really wanted to open the envelope now.

Lunchtime couldn't come fast enough.

*********************************************

_ Where is he? _

Eleni waited for Herakles. She was picking at the food on her plate anxiously.

_ He got the card, I saw him pick it up! Did I frighten him off?!  _ Eleni fretted in her head.

This was the worst part of making cards for Eleni: the "what do they think and do they like it?" bit.

_ Please don't tell me I ruined our chances over a stupid card!  _ Eleni cried mentally, hoping that some deity out there would grant her pleas.

*********************************************

Herakles was finally alone. He couldn't wait any longer. He tore open the envelope along the top with one smooth rip of his finger. Pinching the top of the card, Herakles carefully pulled it out. 

He looked at it. And stared.

It was... different than he'd imagined. Not the solid colours and shapes that he had seen earlier through the envelope. Herakles let his brain process the picture.

It was a small cartoon of two halves. On one side, was the Moon. A grey ball with craters, with two little black eyes and a smile. Sitting on the Moon, was an Astronaut with a brown ponytail sticking out of the helmet. The Moon was looking down and smiling at the second half of the cartoon. On the other side, was the Earth. A green and blue bigger ball, with two little black eyes and a smile. Sitting on the Earth, was a man with brown hair. The Earth was smiling up at the Moon.

_ Huh. Cute.  _ Herakles thought.  _ The Moon and the Earth. _

He took a closer look at the two people on the Moon and the Earth. A brown haired female astronaut on the Moon. A brown haired man looking up at the Moon, seated on the Earth. A tiny double curl in the man's hair.

It hit him then.

_ Wait...it's Eleni and me! She made this card...she drew us! Moon of my Heart, My World...our pet names for each other!  _ Herakles realised. The cute doodle made far more sense to Herakles now. And he felt very endeared to it. 

Eleni had drawn a picture for Herakles before, for his Birthday last year. He had it put in a frame. Now Herakles wondered if he could frame this card too. The card fell open, and he read the hand-written message inside. Written in Eleni's neat Greek hand-writing, Herakles read the short poem:

_ I love you like The Moon loves The Earth, _

_ Forever circling around and around, _

_ Just like the Moon follows the Earth in Space, _

_ I will follow you above and beyond. _

Herakles felt the arrows of Eros strike into his heart. A high wave of love and raw emotion washed over him. 

_ Eleni said in four little lines...what I wanted to tell her all this time... _ Herakles thought, shaking his head.

Something else caught his eye. The bright colours and solid shapes he had seen earlier through the envelope were showing through the other side of the card. Herakles turned the card over. His breath hitched in his throat.

Two cats were nuzzling each other, soft pencil strokes showing their textured fur. Their tails were raised to form a heart shape above their heads. Behind the cats, was the classic view of Oia in Santorini. Multicloured buildings on a hill with blue domed roofed churches. Pinks, oranges, yellows and purples shading the Sunset in the background, above the sea. All lovingly recreated by hand.

_ Now this is definitely Eleni's work!  _ Herakles thought. He belatedly realised, in his tired mind, that he had seen the back of the card first!

_ I am framing this when I get home!  _ Herakles thought with determination.

_ But first...I have a card to finish! _

_ ******************************* _ **************

Eleni felt stupid. Lonely and stupid.

After the eye contact in the Auditorium, she didn't see Herakles for the rest of the day.

She didn't get any replies back from the messages she had sent either.

Nothing demanding. Just asking if he was OK. If he wanted to hang out. Do what friends do.

_ Except can we really call each other just friends? We keep flirting with each other. Touching each other. We've kissed. We still kiss. And we've shared the bed. Who the hell am I kidding that I just want friendship?!  _ Eleni raged to herself in her turmoil ravaged mind.

She decided to make herself another cup of tea. As the kettle boiled, Eleni stared at the door of her hotel room. She didn't know what she was expecting. Maybe if she stared hard enough, the door would knock. And Herakles would be right there.

_ Nah, that's just silly. Sillier than an episode of Happy Tree Friends... _ Eleni thought. Her gaze fell down to the floor. The kettle finished boiling. 

But Eleni didn't go to the kettle.

Something was there under the door.

Curious, Eleni walked over to the door, as if she was in a trance.

She knelt down.

There was a folded piece of paper stuck through the gap between the door and the carpet.

Eleni carefully pulled out the paper. With delicate fingers, she unfolded it. She stopped when she saw the writing on the front cover.

_ "Αγαπημένη Φεγγάρι τις Καρδιάς μου" _

_ " _ Beloved Moon of my Heart…" Eleni read out. 

_ Oh my God… _

She traced the slanted letters written by Herakles' hand, lightly and lovingly, with her middle finger. Feeling the indents in the paper from the Biro pen.

_ Oh my God… _

Eleni carefully opened the paper. There was a lot of writing. As she glanced through the words, she noticed the endings.

They rhymed.

"Herakles...wrote me...poetry!" Eleni whispered in shock.

_ Oh my God… _

_ You do realise that if you say "Oh my God" one more time, you will summon Alfred F Jones of America into your room like Beetlejuice, right?!  _ Eleni's conscience reprimanded her.

Eleni didn't reply. She just sank to her knees, clutching the paper Valentines Card to her heart, and cried.

Cried for all the years she had been rejected and heart-broken.

Cried in awe of receiving her first ever Valentines Card.

Cried in relief, that her love wasn't unrequited. She was loved too.

Eleni had to put the card at arms length so her tears wouldn't ruin Herakles' beautiful words.

Her wracking sobs echoed loudly around the room. It did occur to Eleni that her crying might attract attention from concerned neighbours. Maybe a member of staff outside.

_ Yeah sure. Who's gonna care about a girl getting over emotional about getting her first Valentine Card after 30 years?  _ The Devil on Eleni's shoulder sneered at her.

**Knock- knock**

Apparently, someone did care!

Panicking, Eleni grabbed a tissue and cleaned up her face. Still holding Herakles' Valentines Card in one hand, Eleni put on a brave face and mentally prepared an apology to the angry or concerned soul waiting outside. She opened her hotel room door.

And stared.

There was a concerned soul outside her door.

It was Herakles.

"Eleni?" He asked softly, looking worried. Eleni didn't answer. She took Herakles' hand, and pulled him into her room. Pulled him into her arms, and held on tightly.

Herakles wrapped his arms around Eleni, holding her tightly too. His hand moved to her upper back, rubbing it soothingly.

No words were said at first. The only noises were Herakles' soft and steady breathing, and Eleni's trembling breaths as she struggled to hold it together. Herakles pulled back after a few minutes.

"What's wrong?" He asked Eleni gently, searching her face with worry. Eleni smiled ruefully, embarrassed at being caught like this.

"I missed you...then I got your card under my door...and it...hit me all at once." Eleni replied, still wiping at her eyes. "You...wrote me poetry!" She added, beginning to laugh lightly in disbelief.

Herakles smiled bashfully.

"Do you like it?" He asked hopefully. 

Eleni showed him the card he had written, and made a show of pressing the paper over her heart. She took a deep breath.

"If I could keep this card inside my heart forever, I would!" She said passionately. Herakles blinked in surprise. 

"I'm going to read it again later, and probably turn into a leaky tap, again, because it made me emotional!" Eleni told Herakles, as she turned to put the card standing up on her desk. Herakles snorted in amusement and shook his head.

"I wanted...to give you happiness...not turn you...into a 'leaky tap'!" Herakles replied. Eleni was giggling now, as she slowly approached Herakles.

"Αγάπη μού (My Love)..." Eleni began.

Herakles' breath hitched in his throat.

_ She called me Her Love, again!  _ His mind sang joyfully.

"You gave me happiness alright, you gave me my first ever Valentine's Card!" Eleni praised Herakles. She stepped closer and closer to him.

"Just you being here, gives me happiness…" She told him sweetly. Within touching distance now, she lifted her hands to cup Herakles' face gently. Herakles gently put his hands on Eleni's hips to bring her closer to him.

"And you wrote me poetry!" She repeated from earlier, a passionate whisper against Herakles lips.

"You like it that much?" Herakles asked her. Eleni took a few short breaths, blinked slowly and lovingly at Herakles, and brushed her nose softly against his.

"I can show you how much I liked it…" Eleni whispered suggestively against Herakles' lips. She tilted her head, and Herakles leant in. 

The kiss started slow, Eleni's lips moving against Herakles' slowly but sweetly. The kisses grew more passionate, both lovers starving for each other's lips and touch. Fingers tangled in each others' hair, desperate to pull each other even closer. Arms holding each other close like an anchor, bound together as waves of love washed over them. Their hands roved across each others' bodies, encouraged by sighs of pleasure, and gasps of want. Clothes were pulled off and thrown across the room with abandon. Lips moved down to newly exposed skin, desiring to taste. Eleni pulled Herakles back with her, and he willingly followed her. She felt the bed at the back of her knees and temporarily broke away to get comfortable.

"Did you like my card?" Eleni asked shyly, as Herakles also sat down next to her. He started chuckling, slow and deep.

"I saw the back first...it was very cute!" He admitted. Eleni broke into laughter.

"Aw no, you saw the last minute doodle from the early hours of the morning! I was delirious!" She explained through peals of laughter.

"Wait...you were awake all night...drawing?" Herakles asked her, looking worried. "When I encouraged you not to give up...I didn't know...you were going to make a card...for me!" He admitted.

"It was worth it, if you liked it?" Eleni asked, still waiting for an answer.

Herakles pulled Eleni flush against him, nuzzling softly against her forehead.

"It's beautiful…" He replied, that beautiful open grin that makes Eleni see fireworks appearing on his face. He pulled back to look Eleni directly in her eyes.

"...like you!" Herakles finished smoothly, but genuinely. Eleni chuckled shyly. She knew sweet-talkers. But then Herakles blew them all out of the window in comparison!

"Well, your poetry is beautiful, like you too!" Eleni told Herakles genuinely. Now it was Herakles' turn to look bashful. He was used to hearing that his lands are beautiful. From past lovers who have told him he is handsome. Hearing that from Eleni though, made Herakles  _ feel  _ things he hadn't felt before.

"Will you...stay tonight?" Eleni asked Herakles. "I still haven't shown you how much I liked your poetry!" Her voice offered such sweet and sultry promises. Herakles smiled warmly again, nodded and dove in for more kissing.

Herakles never thought in all his years of being on Earth, that he could get so much reward, by giving. Especially poetry from his own heart, written on one little card. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True fact: I used to do hand drawn cards for people and family. The last time I did art as presents was 2 years ago. I'm just too tired now, I'm sorry!
> 
> The Nations giving each other Valentines Cards and gifts was from a canon Hetalia event on Himaruya Hidekaz's Kitayume blog. Romano/South Italy being rude to his brother for not giving him his coffee yet was also from a canon strip, where the countries were being asked how they liked their coffee. (I don't remember which manga volume though, sorry guys! I do remember it ended with Greece and Turkey fighting, and Cyprus looking ashamed saying "It always ends this way over one cup of coffee!")
> 
> True fact (a sad one, sorry): I've never received a Valentines Card. I did get a Valentines text with a picture of roses though!
> 
> A friend introduced me to Happy Tree Friends. It is anything but happy, I warn you right now! Look it up at your own risk!
> 
> I've heard Americans say Oh my God a LOT, and I'm sure I heard America say it too in his character song "Cowboys Boot Camp" from his character CD Volume 2.


	11. For Your Eyes Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you keep a serial napper awake? Send him some amusing messages of course! The flirtier, the better! Just watch out that you don't injure Italy in the process too, or annoy the local Austrian! But what happens when the flirting becomes a love confession?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two Greeks in full flirty mode with each other. Ugh, get a room you two!

Boring. Gloomy. Dreary. Three perfectly good reasons for Herakles Karpusi to doze off from the European Meeting, into a nice snooze. A dream filled with cats maybe? Or imagining life as a cat? Maybe eating a never ending Moussaka or Gyros? Or sailing on a Catamaran on a blue sea under a blue sky? Yeah, they sound good too…

As Herakles' green eyes flutter shut, and his back relaxes into the chair, a buzz in his pocket demands his attention. Carefully, and with caution, Herakles pulls out his flip phone from his pocket. He flicks it open under the table and glances down.

_New message from Eleni._

A small smile graces Herakles's lips, as he opens the message to read it.

_"Wakey wakey, eggs and bacey!"_

_Ah, Eleni is at the British slang again. What does she mean this time?_ Herakles is curious to know what his compatriot at the United Kingdom seat area is telling him. Usually it's something bizarre or rip-roaringly funny. Bizarre as in the word "trollied" being used to describe someone so drunk, that they need to be carried around in a shopping trolley! Rip-roaringly funny being "Jesus Christ on a Bicycle" existing as a phrase! 

Herakles looks up towards the United Kingdom table. His compatriot, Eleni, isn't looking his way...yet. She's busy taking notes. But then, like a flash, she glances at Herakles and makes a quick wink.

 _She's flirting with me again? Hmm. This meeting just got...more interesting!_ Herakles thinks to himself, a little happier than he was earlier.

Smiling a little wider, Herakles looks down to his phone, and types his own message. He hits the "send" button, and glances up to see Eleni's reaction.

Sure enough, Eleni glances down under her table. A little light from her phone screen shines under her chin. 

_New message from Herakles Karpusi:_

_"I don't get it?"_

She looks over at Herakles and gives him a knowing smile. She looks back down for a few moments. Then looks back to the speaker heading the meeting.

The phone in Heracles' hand buzzes with a new message.

_"It's an English phrase used to wake someone up with the promise of breakfast. The Greek equivalent is "Ksipna, Ksipna! Avga ke Lounza!"_

Herakles's smile stretches even wider. It's a funny phrase, as expected of his little lady friend. There is an implication here too, and Herakles sees an opportunity too good to pass up! He types furiously under the table and sends his reply.

Eleni sees her phone light up under the table. Glancing down, she sees this:

_That is cute. Are you saying you want to cook me breakfast? ;-)_

Eleni's eyebrows rise and she looks up to give Herakles an "Oh really?" unimpressed facial expression. Herakles puts his thumb and finger to his mouth to stop himself from snickering. Eleni bites her lip, fighting a smile, as she appears to be typing back a reply.

Soon enough, Herakles gets his answer:

_Only if I get to wear an apron that says "Kiss the Chef"!_

_What an odd request!_ Herakles thinks, one dark eyebrow raising with confusion. When he looks up at Eleni, she is hiding a smirk with her hand. Herakles goes ahead and types what he is thinking. He sends it and waits. He has nothing to lose, right? Eleni looks back down and reads the reply:

_OK? If I get you the apron, will you cook me breakfast then? ;-)_

Eleni rolls her eyes so hard, she's seeing the Earth go around the Sun! Her smile is still there though. Well apparently, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach! It seems to be true for Herakles right now. Or maybe he's just hungry again? She types her response and then looks at the speaker again, taking notes with her writing hand.

Eleni's reply that comes through, is this:

_Well, before I cook you breakfast, you have to do what the apron says: Kiss the Chef!_ 😽

_Kiss the Chef? Who is the Chef?_ Herakles thinks. _The Chef is cooking breakfast for me...the Chef is Eleni…..oh!_

Eleni watches Herakles from her seat. His reaction to her message is absolutely priceless! Herakles' face goes from confused, to thinking, some more thinking...and then his eyes widening as wide as coffee cup saucers! His eyebrows disappear up into his fringe with blatant disbelief and shock! He is gaping, now looking back and forth between Eleni and the flirty message she sent him. Eleni's smile reaches her eyes as she makes eye contact with Herakles. One more blink-and-you'll-miss-it wink, and she's back to work.

Herakles isn't going to let this slide or let Eleni get the upper hand here. 

_Playing dirty now Eleni mou (my Eleni)? I accept your challenge!_

Herakles thinks to himself. He starts typing away and sends his message.

Eleni doesn't look at Herakles' message straight away. But when she does, she's a bit puzzled:

_You want me to kiss the chef? That could take a while._

Eleni is much quicker with her reply:

_Why?_

Herakles smiles innocently as he types his reply and sends it. He waits for the reaction on Eleni's face. When it happens, he wants so badly to borrow Sadiq of Turkey's camera to take a picture of this moment! Eleni's big brown eyes are almost popping out of her head, and blinking rapidly. Her own dark eyebrows have shot up her forehead too in surprise! She still can't believe Herakles's reply:

_I want to kiss all of you. All of your body. ;-X_

Eleni's seriously biting her lip now and trying not to laugh out loud. Her shoulders are shaking too. It's not the first time the Greek pair have talked about kissing, or kissed for real either. Actually, they kissed at the last meeting, in the break room! Eleni finally dares to look up at Herakles. The offending Greek nation has decided to innocently look the other way, as if the wall is suddenly very interesting! Yes, what a delightful shade of pastel blue that wall is, la de dah, and all that nonsense! That warm disarming smile is back on his face though!

Eleni types back her reply and sends it. She writes notes as fast as she can, hoping that Arthur hasn't noticed what's really happening. She glances across to Arthur. He just has his arms crossed and looks bored, like he's been told that he can't go out to play football in the rain!

Herakles feels that familiar buzz in his hand under the table. There's no point putting the phone away. Not when such an _interesting_ conversation is happening:

_New Message from Eleni:_

_Are you saying you want to eat me for breakfast?! I can't guarantee that I'll taste like eggs and bacon! ;-)_

_Trust Eleni to turn to being funny when she's losing!_ Herakles thinks. _Time to up the ante…_

Herakles types out his reply, sends...and waits.

Eleni is keeping her cool for now. Considering she's been playing with fire throughout this meeting. But she's about to land in hot water again, when she reads Herakles' next message:

_Well, I was thinking of laying breakfast on you. And tasting you! :-p_

What happens next is pretty funny...in hindsight! Eleni slaps her hand over one eye in shock, but drops her pen! She tries to catch it, but it rolls off the table ledge! 

The pen bounces onto the next table below, startling Rodereich of Austria!

The pen falls down further...further...and somehow bounces onto Feliciano of Italy's head! The pen stops in front of Feliciano.

Eleni looks horrified. Herakles also looks horrified, but trying not to laugh at his dear little flirty compatriot.

_Oops!_

Feliciano picks up the pen and looks at it. He looks up to where it might have come from. Eleni looks horrified, but waves down at Feliciano. Luckily for her, Feliciano is the friendly type. He hands the pen up to Rodereich of Austria, whispering something. Presumably to hand it back to Eleni. Unfortunately, Roderich isn't exactly friendly. If Eleni thought that Ludwig of Germany is strict, Roderich of Austria is even more so!

"Don't be so clumsy next time!" Roderich whispers irritably at Eleni, before holding out the pen to her out-stretched hand. 

"Entschuldigung, Dankeschön (I'm sorry, thank you)" Eleni whispers back in German. Roderich doesn't say anything more, turning back to the meeting. Eleni is relieved. A little grateful that she can still remember German from her old school classes too. Surprised in fact. She hated the teacher!

Eleni gets back to writing, and no more messages are sent. Herakles feels a little bad now. In their flirty messaging competition, he had meant to fluster Eleni. But not like that! Herakles notices that Arthur glanced a look at Eleni in surprise when she dropped her pen. Seeing her hand speeding across the paper now, he settles back into Bored Brit mode.

Ten minutes pass uneventfully. Well, uneventfully for Herakles anyway. Francis is disagreeing with Ludwig. Feliciano is making silly suggestions as usual. Arthur is now arguing with Francis and threatening to use "Britannia Fork". Whatever that is. Business as usual with this rowdy lot! No one will notice if Herakles falls asleep, right?

The phone in his pocket begs to differ! Buzzing away, Herakles plucks it out and flips it open. 

_New Message from Eleni:_

_How can you go to sleep in all this noise?! I wish I could nap too! XD_

Herakles smiles. Eleni still wants to talk to him! Speaking with a dear friend is always worth staying awake for! He types a reply back and sends it.

Eleni has stopped taking notes for now. The meeting has descended into chaos. Nothing worth noting anyway. Unless she wants to report that Arthur created a pink cloud of destruction with Francis...again! No one wants to read that! She sees a familiar light flashing under the table. Plucking out the phone, she reads the new message:

_New message from Herakles Karpusi:_

_Come and nap with me. You can...sit on my knee? ;-)_

Eleni doesn't hide her toothy smile this time, shaking her head. She looks up at Herakles and raises her eyebrows. _Oh really?_ She seems to be saying, in a flirty fashion this time. Getting back to the phone, she looks around her. It's still chaos around her. Even the human Members of European Parliament are yelling at each other now! With no one to take notice or reprimand her, Eleni types away on her phone and sends it. She folds her arms, looking away and disinterested.

 _Why the sudden change in body language?_ Herakles thinks. _Did I say something wrong? Did I go too far?_ He's about to find out when he reads the new message:

_I'd love to sit on your knee...but I can't guarantee we'd be napping! ;-)_

Now it's Herakles' turn to feel a little flustered! The implications are clearly there, that suggestive wink emoji was added on purpose! Herakles doesn't fight holding back this time, he openly giggles deep and slow. He looks up to see Eleni full on looking his way, and giggling too.

Herakles goes to send Eleni another message, when the bell rings for Lunchtime. Everybody stands up, eager to get out of the room for some much needed food and drinks. Maybe a stiff drink for some people! For Herakles, he is looking more forward to something _else_ entirely! He gets distracted by his own MEPs asking him questions for a minute. When he looks back to the UK Seating area, Eleni is gone.

Herakles is a little disappointed. But the meeting isn't over yet…

**10 minutes to go before Lunchtime ends…**

Eleni had meant it when she said she was taking a trip to the ladies room. She really did need the toilet! It wasn't her fault that the Greek MEP team had spotted her and wanted a chat! She's a fellow Greek too, it was bound to happen! There's general chit chat of "How was the meeting for you?", "How are things in Greece now?", etc. "What is going on with Brexit?" gets a witty reply of "I don't think the Prime Minister even knows, never mind the Queen!" that gets a few laughs. 

Suddenly Eleni feels a tap on her shoulder from behind. The rest of the Greek MEPs wave with a "we'll talk soon" and leave Eleni. Eleni doesn't need to turn around to know who this is. The smell of olives and musk gives it away. Smiling as sweetly as possible, Eleni turns around and lifts up on tip toes to greet her beloved Greek nation. It is custom for Greeks to greet each other with a kiss to each cheek, and hug if they know each other. For Eleni, it feels like time slows down in moments like this with Herakles. Everything happens in slow motion. Kisses to Herakles feel longer with meaning. Hugs in his strong arms feel warmer and deeper. Eleni can't be sure if it's her wishful thinking, or if Herakles is as reluctant as she is to pull away. They are still close though. Hands clasped on each other's forearms. Warm smiles aimed at each other. Brown eyes meet green and gold eyes warmly and blink slowly at each other.

"Kalispera (Good afternoon)," Eleni speaks first, voice low and soft. 

"Kalispera, atahkti mou! (Good afternoon, my naughty one)" Herakles replies just as low and soft, a little stern but still smiling. Eleni breaks out into soft giggles. She knows she's being told off here for the messaging spree she started earlier! 

"How was your morning?" Eleni asks, as if they hadn't been indecently flirting earlier!

"Terrible," Herakles says with a straight face. "You didn't make me breakfast!"

Eleni breaks out into quiet giggling. Herakles breaks his serious facade to smile at her.

"Oh I'm so sorry," she says with over the top sarcasm. "I thought Hannibal the Cannibal had stolen your phone! He was sending me messages about eating _me_ for Breakfast!"

Herakles recognises the Silence of the Lambs reference and breaks out into chuckles as Eleni giggles. Herakles has leaned in to whisper now.

"Well, it may be true that you don't taste like eggs and bacon. But I wonder...if you taste like…"

Herakles leans even closer, and inhales deeply through his nose at Eleni's neck.

Eleni goes into a state of shock and her heart skips a few beats.

"...like vanilla and rosewater?" Herakles finishes, inquisitive but far too suggestive. Eleni is impressed that he guessed her perfume and that she used rose water on her neck and face from this morning! Eleni's knees are not impressed though. They are going to collapse under the weight of Herakles's sweet flirting!

Eleni shakes her head in disbelief, with an air of "I can't believe you just said something so mushy!". She is still smiling though. She leans in closer still.

"See, the way you talk to me? And what you make me say to you? This is why we wouldn't get much napping done if I sat on your knee!" Eleni whispers cheekily, almost nose to nose with Herakles.

Herakles breaks out into shocked laughter now. It's quiet and fairly deep, not the booming type that Alfred of America specialises in. Eleni hasn't let go of Herakles yet, she just looks up at him with a "sorry not sorry" smile, chuckling away. Herakles thinks of something to say back...but feels a pat on his shoulder.

"We're going in now amigos (friends)!" Antonio of Spain cheerfully announces, waving his hand as he waltzes past the Greek pair.

 _Oh right. The meeting!_ Both Herakles and Eleni realise at the same time.

Eleni will have to hold on a bit longer to go to the ladies room then. Herakles will have to hold on a bit longer to say what was left unsaid!

**Back in the meeting...**

The European politicians are back discussing Europe's problems. The Nations are back to being civil. And Eleni and Herakles are back at messaging each other under the table again!

Eleni checks her phone:

_New message from Herakles Karpusi:_

_When you said we wouldn't be doing much napping...what did you mean? Am I not comfortable enough?_

_Uh oh. This again?! I opened up a huge can of worms didn't I?!_ Eleni thinks. She's not sure if Herakles wants her to spell out her flirty intentions, or if she upset him. Typing away with one hand again, while gripping the pen hard in the other, Eleni sends her reply.

Herakles is looking far more awake now than he did earlier. Perhaps a little more anxious than usual! The buzz in his pocket lets him know that Eleni answered his question...hopefully!

_New Message from Eleni:_

_Agápi mou (my love), you look so comfortable that I'd never leave! Like a cat that sits on your knees and you're not allowed to move! XD And you look so delicious to me, I want to eat you for lunch and dinner too, nevermind breakfast! ;-X_

Herakles reads the message once. Twice. Three times. Yet all that circles around in his head like a broken record stuck on repeat is _She called me Her Love, She called me Her Love, She called me Her Love!_

Herakles looks up at Eleni, feeling a little broken and very much shocked! He notices her typing away furiously under the table, and looking quite a bit panicked!

Herakles wonders if she regrets what she just said. He sees Eleni go back to taking notes. She isn't looking at him. Herakles wonders why Eleni keeps blowing hot and cold. Flirty, then minus thirty of the cold shoulder variety. Herakles knows that he moves on once he's got what he's wanted from a lover. They are usually one night stands and short affairs. But meeting his little compatriot has sparked a much bigger interest. A desire to know what it's like to love and stay with someone. Everybody he loves, either died, left long ago or cannot stay. 

Seconds turn to minutes, and still nothing. The incoming message is taking its sweet time to come. Herakles flips open the phone to have a look at the screen under the table. Still nothing. Until, he looks at the top of the screen.

The WiFi signal is gone.

 _Well, that explains why her message isn't here yet!_ Herakles thinks, with some relief and disappointment. He looks to Eleni again. She's looking his way this time, looking as anxious as he feels. Herakles makes a subtle hand gesture to her, implying to look at her phone. 

Eleni looks a bit perplexed. She checks her phone though. There is a message for her, but not from Herakles:

_Message didn't send. Will send when Internet is available._

Herakles can feel Eleni's hard eyeball roll from across the meeting room! She shakes her head and goes back to note taking. Herakles is torn between two things: Nap? Or check the phone? His brain argues with itself!

_Nap?_

_No wait! Check the phone again!_

_...no message. Nap!_

_Wait Wait, check the phone again!_

_...no wifi still. Nap, I'm tired!_

_Check the phone! I want to know what she said!_

BUZZ!

A message for Herakles. The WiFi must have come back! Herakles checks the screen. Sure enough, Eleni's message finally arrived:

_OK now I sound like Hannibal the Cannibal, I'm sorry! I meant that I wouldn't want to leave you. And I'd be wanting to kiss you all the time. Why sleep and dream of kissing you, when we can just do it? OK that just sounds really superficial too. I just love you very much but don't know how to say it._

Herakles wants to hold onto this message and look at it whenever he feels down. The cats love him and don't leave him. But there's someone else on this big blue ball in the Universe that loves Herakles and doesn't want to leave him too.

"Meeting's over Kyrié Herakles," a Greek politician pats Herakles' shoulder, breaking the spell of this revelation. Herakles blinks a few times, then stands up. He's going to get to Eleni before she goes home. He's going to tell her-

Herakles looks up to the United Kingdom seats. Eleni's not there. All the seats are empty!

Herakles hasn't moved this fast since...the last time he competed in the Olympics?! Or was it when he played in the Euro football 2004 competition and won? Nevermind. He was running fast now! Out of his seat, out of the meeting hall, into the Lobby. Herakles looks around desperately. No sign of Arthur's messy and spiky blond hair. No sign of a dark haired pony tail clipped up bobbing along with a bouncy walk either. Antonio of Spain shuffles tiredly past though. Herakles grabs Antonio's arm before he can escape.

"Spain…" Herakles gasps, a little out of breath from running.

"Heeey Greece! Are you OK amigo (friend)? Have you been running?" Antonio looks concerned.

"...Have you seen the UK Team? Britain? Eleni?!" Herakles asks, a little more than anxious and bordering on desperate.

"Ah! Si amigo (Yes my friend)! I did see them!" Antonio announces happily. Herakles feels better already.

"They left 5 minutes ago."

 _...Anáthemá méh! (Damn me!)_ Herakles thinks, cursing his bad luck.

But Herakles can be patient when he wants to be. He told Ludwig of Germany once that one of his abandoned arenas from the recent Athens Olympics could be a Tourist Attraction in a 1,000 years! So what's a few hours to wait until Eleni is home, and he can call her then?

Herakles' heart tells his brain that it might not last that long!


	12. Dying to tell you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eleni is desperate to call Herakles and tell him what she meant at the end of the meeting. But the Universe, or rather her Boss Arthur Kirkland, is basically saying "Nah!". Eleni's frustration grows as all her attempts are thwarted at every turn! Also starring creative nick-names, biscuit murder, and a cat-punch!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact time! "Nah" in English means "no". "Nah" in Greek coupled with shoving your palm in someone's face means "Go to Hell"! Both meanings of the word "Nah" seem to apply to poor Eleni this time! Biscuits are thin versions of what our friends across the pond would call "cookies". For Greece-cat, I decided to name him "Leonidas" after the heroic King Leonidas of Sparta. If you've seen the film "300", yes it's him!

Eleni really wanted to stay a little longer after the meeting ended. She wanted to find Herakles. Tell him face to face that she loves him. Not just as a Nation either...she's grown to love him for simply being himself! Enough flirting through messages. Enough stolen kisses in break times. Now was the day to say something!

Except the Universe said "nah"!

Except Arthur Kirkland, the personification of the UK said "We're leaving. Now!"

Except Eleni didn't want to be stranded in Berlin.

So she left with the UK Members of European Parliament team.

Straight to the airport. Stuck with a bunch of stuck-up old fogies. Stuck with no internet on the plane journey too! She'd forgotten her laptop at home too, so she couldn't type up any of the Meeting notes!

Oh how Eleni hated every minute of the journey home!

**Arthur's house, United Kingdom**

As soon as Arthur is inside, Eleni makes a dash for her room

"Eleni?" a stern British voice makes her freeze.

"Yes, Arthur?" Eleni turns around, trying to hide her nervousness. _Did Arthur noticed us messaging? I'm so screwed!_ She frets internally.

"Put the kettle on please," Arthur continues. Eleni changes direction towards the Kitchen.

"Oh, and can you get those meeting notes typed up and sent to me before 5.30pm please? Parliament wants them for the morning session?" Arthur adds.

 _The Universe really doesn't want me to talk to Herakles now, does it?_ Eleni thinks gloomily. But...she can still multitask, right?

As the kettle boils to make tea, Eleni opens her laptop and boots it up into action. The word processing software opens up as Eleni brews the tea bags in hot water. She opens a new file, labels it, and adds a title. She goes to grab her folder of notes. Coming back, she adds milk and sugar to the tea cups. She delivers the tea cups to Arthur, and spins on her heel back into the kitchen like a tiny whirlwind! 

"Er, thanks? Aren't you-" Arthur starts, a bit bewildered. "Going to stay for a chat?" Arthur finishes, a bit dejected.

Back in the kitchen, Eleni gets started on typing up the notes. She doesn't care what it looks like or for typing errors. It could all look like Yogi Bear in a Pennywise the Clown costume for all she cares! She just types like her life depends on it.

The sooner she finishes this task, the sooner she can call Herakles!

**5.15pm, United Kingdom**

Eleni has typed like a demon, and edited like an angel. Well, one of those fallen angels, maybe. Angels don't send flirty and dirty text messages, do they?!

She scan reads the typed up meeting notes. Scan reads again. So far, so good. She opens up a new email message to Arthur, attaches the meeting notes, types a few sentences explaining what the heckie she's sending, and whacks the send button. Whoosh. There goes the email. 

"Arthur? I sent you the meeting notes!" Eleni yells from the kitchen.

"Oh, cheers Poppet!" Arthur replies from the Living Room.

Eleni picks up her laptop to head to her room. _Finally, I can Skype call Herakles and tell him-_ She thinks, bubbling with excitement.

"Oh, one other thing. I'm too tired after today, can you make us Tea please?"

 _Tell Herakles nothing at all now_ Eleni thinks, now bubbling with rage. _God.Fucking.Damnit!_

After going through the fridge and freezer and throwing food packets out with enough anger to set the Kitchen on fire, Eleni decides on what to make for tea:

Roast chicken pieces, Aunt Bessies Potatoes, and Broccoli and Cauliflower pieces. 

She finds a 'Potato slices in melted cheese' ready meal that's a day from going off. Not wanting to waste food, she gets a brainwave to combine the ready meal with the Broccoli and Cauliflower pieces as a savoury Bake! Whipping out the spice jars, chopping onions, and squeezing a lemon, the chicken pieces go in the oven to roast. Eleni chucks the vegetable pieces into a large tin, and slathers the ready meal over the top. She carefully slides this full tin into the second oven, below the roasting chicken.

Eleni has calmed down enough to at least sound like decent human being. She checks the time. It's 6pm.

 _...It's 8pm in Athens now. I should try calling him!_ Eleni thinks to herself. She heads to the laptop to open up Skype. Arthur isn't in the room now, and Eleni has been practicing her Greek to speak more fluently. Her family would be proud of her now hopefully. 

"Oh look at you Góri (daughter), your Greek is so much better!" Eleni's mother and aunts would probably say.

"Oh thanks very much! I'm trying to impress a Hunkules of a Hercules called Herakles!" Eleni would probably reply!

Skype finally opens with cheery ringing notes, like a doorbell being pressed. The last person she Skyped was Herakles, and that conversation was 4 nights ago.

 _Please let Herakles answer_ Eleni thinks desperately, as she's about to press the "Call" button. 

"'Ello Poppet, how's the tea getting on?" Arthur suddenly appears, taking a peek through the oven's glass doors.

Eleni puts the laptop lid down. _Arthur won't be happy if he finds out I've been carrying on talking to Herakles, even after all those warnings!_ Eleni frets to herself.

"Tea will be ready in about...45 minutes?" Eleni replies, remembering how long the chicken pieces should cook for. She's not going to do an "Arthur", not today!

By the way, doing an "Arthur" means being like Arthur Kirkland. When he was so distracted by his fairies, Pixie the Flying Mint Bunny, and Unicorn friends, that he forgot his scones in the oven! How the house wasn't burnt down, we'll never know! The poor scones became black balls of ash and brimstone! Arthur could and probably did use the burnt scones as weapons against Francis of France!

"So...what are we having?" Arthur asks lightly. He looks ready to have a conversation. As much as Eleni cares for Arthur, he isn't the Nation she wants to talk to right now!

Eleni sighs in resignation. "We're having roast chicken pieces, Aunt Bessie Potatoes, and a Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake with sliced potatoes," she answers. The joy and pride isn't there in her voice. Arthur notices!

"....are you alright Eleni? You sound like you want to throw in the towel?!" Arthur asks, concerned.

"I'm tired too. Frustrated. Annoyed," Eleni admits. She won't say why though!

"Yeah, I know the feeling," Arthur sympathises, "Those bloody meetings for the European Union always drain me too! But once Brexit is sorted, hopefully we won't have to bother with them anymore!" 

Something in Arthur's last sentence sets something off in Eleni's brain. Warning sirens!

"Won't have to...bother with them anymore?" Eleni asks tentatively. "Does that mean... no more EU meetings for us?"

"Yes, but only if Brexit happens." Arthur clarifies. The sound of fracturing glass rings in Eleni's ears. She's certain that came from her heart!

No more EU Meetings.

Means no more seeing Herakles face to face on a regular basis! As if this evening couldn't get any worse for Eleni! Well it probably could, but this is painful stuff for her to hear!

"Wait...what about my secretary job to you? I'll lose that, won't I?" Eleni asks, sounding far more sad than she should.

"Ah! Well, I'll find else something for you to do!" Arthur assures her. "Besides, I know you hate the Brexit Party, so I bet you'll be glad to see the back of them! What do you call their leader again? Go on, I could do with a laugh!" Arthur cajoles Eleni light heartedly.

Eleni sighs with exasperation and blurts it out:

"Nit-wit Fuck-Wit,"

Arthur bursts into laughter and holds his sides. Eleni decided that she would never, ever, call that loud-mouthed, racist liar by their name. She did decide it would be far more respectable to call that leader by some more "creative" names instead!

Arthur is still keen to chatter away, clearly in need of some comic relief from Eleni. She obliges him, and turns over the chicken pieces.

"So...how are things going with The King of the Perverts then?" Arthur asks Eleni, completely out of the blue!

"...Who? You what now?" Eleni sqwarks, much like the chicken that she's holding in the tin. If said chicken was still alive that is, and not being roasted in a fiery inferno!

"You knooooow" Arthur drones and waves his hand, trying to jog Eleni's memory. "Mr Tall, Dark and Handsome! Who was there at today's meeting?"

" _Hello Handsome my old friend_ ," Eleni starts singing to the tune of Simon & Garfunkel's 'The Sound of Silence', _"I walked into the wall again…"_

Arthur bursts into laughter again, clapping his hands with utter glee. Eleni chuckles herself. She doesn't want to talk about her relationship with Herakles to Arthur. She's too afraid of how much more he'll try to put them off! What can she tell Arthur anyway?

_Yeah Arthur, about that. You and your stupid Brexit Party are cock-blocking me and Herakles from ever getting together! Thanks a bunch, you useless wankers!_

No, Eleni would never be so horrible to Arthur. He gave her a home so she could be independent. He gave her a job to help her pay her bills and university fees. That job, led to Eleni meeting Herakles! So she should be grateful instead! And instead of talking about it, Eleni does what she does best. Deflection!

"I'm glad you found that funny. Thank Jasper Carrot, he did that joke first!" Eleni says, leaning against a kitchen countertop.

Arthur takes the deflection bait, and both he and Eleni have a fun discussion about their favourite Jasper Carrot jokes. Eleni pulls out the Vegetable Bake, and swaps it for the potatoes.

**20 minutes later**

"So, he says he was in a Chinese restaurant, and he had to pick a fish to eat. He says "I don't want to pick a fish to eat! I don't mind when it's dead and it's been filleted, but I don't want it waving at me first!" Arthur retells another Jasper Carrot joke. Eleni howls with laughter, trying not to drop the tins of cooked food! Otherwise, they'll both have to get a take-away! 

"Oh here, let me help you put the dinner out!" Arthur decides to be helpful for a change tonight.

Plates are put out. Knives and forks are put out. The food is shared between them. And there's enough leftovers for tomorrow's lunch or tea, which satisfies Arthur's frugal nature. Eleni sees right through it though. Arthur is only saving his money during the week. At weekends, he blows all the money he saved on beer at the pub! As much as Eleni wants to leave and take her dinner with her, Arthur still wants to talk. It's rare that Arthur does this these days, since Brexit started. 

_Maybe Arthur is lonely too. He just wants to talk to someone that isn't a Nation. That isn't a politician. Or a banker._ Eleni wonders.

So she decides to stay, and keep Arthur company. They move on from Jasper Carrot jokes, to other jokes by fellow British comedians. Even after Tea has long been eaten, the laughter between Arthur and Eleni continues. It all moves to the Kitchen again, as Eleni prepares dessert. She chops up some strawberries, opens up a tin of sweet berries, and splits them between 2 cereal bowls. She squirts some whipped cream over the fruit. Then, as Arthur looks on in fascination, Eleni grabs a rolling pin and fetches some Ginger Biscuits in a packet. 

"Wait, wait!" Arthur halts Eleni, "Let me do this next bit, please?"

A bit stumped, Eleni hands over the rolling pin to Arthur. With a demonic grin, and evil laughter, Arthur raises the rolling pin in the air.

 _Oh Bloody Hell, I don't think this was a good idea!_ Eleni thinks belatedly!

"Take this you foppish twit!"

BASH! 

"Shut it you moronic imbecile!"

CRACK!

"Damn you to Hell you wanker!"

WALLOP!

Arthur is really taking out all of his frustrations by bashing the Ginger Biscuits to itsy-bitsy smithereens! After 5 minutes of relentless name-calling and biscuit murder, Eleni steps in to stop Arthur.

"We'll have no biscuits if you carry on," Eleni calmly tells Arthur, placing her hand gently on his shoulder, "or the bits will be so small, we'll need a microscope to see them!"

Arthur chuckles nervously and apologises, handing over the dessert reins back to Eleni. She pours out the battered Ginger Biscuits as crumbs over the cream, creating a crunchy topping. Arthur gets an idea to fetch 2 Cadbury's Flake chocolates. He sticks one in each bowl.

"Ta-daaa!" Arthur announces. "Now it's complete!"

"I thought you said we both have to watch what we eat from now on?" Eleni asks, highly amused by this change in Arthur. She's not complaining. It's a joy to see Arthur being happy!

"Eh, it's Cadbury's Chocolate!" Arthur announces, "British Chocolate at it's finest!"

Eleni thinks about how much she'd missed Cadbury's chocolate whenever she went abroad. "Yeah, you can't beat it!" She agrees happily, as they dig into this quick but tasty dessert!

"Let's put the telly on, shall we?" Arthur announces, grabbing the remote control for the television. Skipping past the main channels because he wants to avoid the news, Arthur settles on the "Dave" comedy channel. They're showing reruns of "Top Gear". Eleni may only have basic knowledge of her car and driving, but she's soon howling and clapping with laughter, along with Arthur, at cars being blown up, cars falling apart, and an intrepid trio of British presenters being idiots in other countries!

**11pm, United Kingdom**

Arthur had dozed off in his armchair. Eleni turned off the television. She tries to rowse Arthur, so he won't be complaining about stiff shoulders and crumpled suits in the morning.

All she gets is a snore and a bit of dribble!

Eleni gives up, and decides it's time to turn in for the night. She goes to turn off the lights in the kitchen. That's when she spots it.

The laptop.

_Oh shit! I forgot to call Herakles!_

Eleni grabs the laptop and opens it up.

Skype is still running, with plenty of battery power, to Eleni's relief.

_2 missed calls, from Herakles Karpusi_

Eleni feels her heart sink. Herakles had rang her, and she missed both calls. After what happened today, it's clear that Herakles wanted to talk to Eleni too. Probably to get to the bottom of all this hot flirting and cold running away. How is she going to explain all of that in words?

_Yeah hi Babe! I freakin' fancy the pants off you and your smile makes me turn into a happy puddle of goo! Your daft theories keep me up all night because I love listening to you! You love cats and so do I! You're the kindest, gentlest and sweetest man I've ever met, but you could break me in half! Heck, I'd let you break me in half when you go all stern and military commander on me! Your laughter is music to my ears. Your dancing is poetry in motion. And I'm in love with you, but I'm afraid you'll run from me for it, so I'm running first…and that's the tea!_

Tea. A cup of tea would be ideal right now. It'll help her calm her nerves. She knows that Herakles doesn't go to sleep until 3 or 4am. It's 1am in Athens now. The missed calls happened between 2 to 3 hours ago. _There's still a chance to catch Herakles, right?_ Eleni thinks desperately, as she puts the kettle to boil again. 

She's eyeing the screen and the call button.

_Do it, what are you waiting for?_

Eleni is having an internal war with herself.

_The kettle's taking too long!_

The kettle is hissing now.

_Press the Call button!_

The kettle is boiling louder now.

_Are you a coward, or are you a Greek?!_

The kettle's lever clicks back up just as Eleni is about to press the call button.

She hesitates for a few more seconds.

_Fuck It!_

She presses the call button. 

As the Skype ringing tone plays, Eleni gets nervous and turns around to make her cup of tea. She hasn't been this nervous in a long time. Not even when Herakles spoke to her over Skype for the first time. He rang first then too.

 _I've not been this scared since the Nation's Ball! No wonder I drank so much wine! But dammit, it made me forget most of the night too!_ Eleni is fretting to herself again.

She pours the water over the tea bag in the cup, shaking a little.

_Click!_

Skype just connected.

"Miaow?"

Eleni hears the connection click and almost spills hot water down herself! She puts the kettle down and looks up…

To find a Greek nation staring back at her inquisitively.

Green eyes look up and down the screen. A shaggy mane. A big and strong body. An even bigger, loving heart.

But that's where the similarities end between Herakles and...his cat Leonidas!

Just like Arthur has "Merlin", a cat personification of the UK, Herakles also has a cat personification of Greece, called "Leonidas". It's this giant ball of cute fluffiness that has accidentally pressed the Skype call button on Herakles's own laptop! If Eleni recalls correctly, Herakles told her that his laptop was a Birthday gift from Kiku of Japan.

"Maow!" Leonidas starts pawing at the camera, revealing pink toe beans under fluffy feet!

"Agápiiiii! (My Love!)" Eleni coos affectionately at the screen. She wonders if Leonidas can hear her.

A happy chirp is the reply!

"Leonidas, leventis mou! Ti kaneis;" (Leonidas, my brave young handsome man! How are you?) Eleni coos musically at the screen again, as she puts milk in her tea.

Leonidas tilts his head to the side, then headbutts the screen softly! He pulls back and meows dejectedly. 

_I think he wants the milk! Or petting. Or both?!_ Eleni wonders.

"Uuuh? Whosat?" Arthur's voice suddenly pipes up from outside the kitchen. Eleni runs over to the laptop and shuts the lid down!

"It's me! I'm just making a cup of tea!" Eleni calls, hoping that she doesn't sound as scared as she feels!

"Uh right, 'm off to bed," Arthur mumbles, as Eleni can hear him shuffling away. "G' night!"

"Goodnight Arthur, sweet dreams!" Eleni calls back, as she stirs her tea nervously with a spoon.

_Oh my glob, that was too close! Good job Herakles' cat was there instead! Even when Arthur's tired, he can still smell a rat!_

Eleni grabs her tea, and the closed laptop. She leaves for her bedroom. She won't get caught there!

**10 minutes later, 11.15pm, Eleni's room, Arthur's House, UK**

Eleni is sat cross legged on her bed, sipping at her hot tea. The laptop is still closed. With a shaky hand, she flips the lid back up.

The computer lights back up, and the Skype screen pops into view. Leonidas is still padding around Herakles' laptop, meowing at the screen. He walks out of view to the left, revealing a sight that steals Eleni's breath.

Herakles himself is there, asleep. His shaggy brown long hair at the front has fallen across his folded arms. His eyes are closed, and his face looks peaceful. He's leaning towards the laptop, so he must have fallen asleep face down on his bed. He's breathing steadily, bulked shoulders rising and falling.

Eleni wants to reach through the screen to gently stroke Herakles's sleeping face. She actually touches the screen wistfully, heart-beating painfully in her chest.

 _So close, and yet so far away_ Eleni pines to herself.

Leonidas comes back into view, this time going straight for Herakles himself. The cat nudges against his human's face, using headbutts! Eleni starts to giggle, trying not to laugh out loud, lest she wake Arthur up too!

 _Leonidas is trying to wake Herakles, bless that sweet and clever cat!_ Eleni squeals internally with delight.

Herakles makes a hum in his sleep. Eleni holds her breath. Leonidas headbutts harder. Herakles hums again, this time a noise of displeasure. Leonidas continues to headbutt Herakles, meowing louder this time. Herakles begins to move...only to turn his head away from Leonidas and completely dunk his face in his arms! 

Eleni shakes her head in exasperation. 

_Looks like Herakles really doesn't like it when you try to wake him up!_ Eleni thinks. She'll have to make a mental note of that for next time.

Leonidas looks up to the screen, as if asking for permission to carry on, or give up on waking his human.

Eleni doesn't really want to give up either. Herakles had to be close to waking up if he felt Leonidas' head butts.

"Pálé agápiiii, pálé! (Again my love, again!) " Eleni coos encouragingly to Leonidas.

The cat turns to look at Herakles.

Leonidas raises his paw…

Eleni holds her breath.

Suddenly Leonidas cat-punches the side of Herakles's head three times!

Herakles winces in pain, lifting an arm up to shield his head from the offending cat attack!

Leonidas stalks around to the unshielded side of Herakles' head. He meows loudly into his human's exposed ear. 

That does it.

Eleni feels like she's watching a rose unfold in spring. Well, she may as well be wearing rose-tinted love-struck goggles. What is actually happening, is a dishevelled, grumpy, Greek man is stretching his arms out like a cat, lifting his head up with a frowning face, pouting like a sulking child, groaning in displeasure, then yawning widely and loudly, before finally glaring at his cat.

Who has decided to sit down on Herakles' arm, and start licking himself as if nothing had happened! Herakles is definitely not impressed with Leonidas' efforts!

"Reh! (Oi you!)" Herakles barks deeply at Leonidas.

"Miaow?" Leonidas looks up from licking, to boop his nose with Herakles' nose.

Eleni puts her hand over her mouth, trying to stop her laughter. Her shoulders are still shaking from barely concealed giggling.

"The Hell you cat punch me for, reh?!" Herakles demands, sounding more petulant now than angry. Herakles would never hurt any of his cats intentionally. He loves them! Even when they cat-punch him awake from a nice nap!

Leonidas stalks away from Herakles, towards the laptop screen. The cat paws at the screen again.

"Efharistó pára polí (Thank you very much)Leonidas!" Eleni coos lovingly at the cat and makes kissy noises in appreciation.

Leonidas stalks away, leaving a confused Herakles muttering angrily at his cat's behind.

"Did you press the call button? Get off, before you press something-"

"Kalispera Agápi mou (Good evening my Love)," a voice softer and sweeter than Baklava drifts out from Herakles' laptop to grace his ears.

Herakles turns his full attention to the screen. He can see Eleni there, with her palm cupping one cheek as she leans to the side. Her hair is still tied up but pieces at the front have fallen down to frame her face. A steaming cup of tea is in her other hand. Eleni is smiling right at Herakles with a lot of amusement!

Herakles drags his hands across his face, trying to fully wake up. When he puts his hands back down, Eleni is still there onscreen. 

_I'm not dreaming? She called me?_ Herakles thinks in disbelief.

"Hey Sleepyhead!" Eleni greets him, still sounding so wonderfully sweet...and yet the amusement is there too. _Did she witness the cat punch? Oh no, how embarrassing!_ Herakles cringes internally.

Herakles does his speciality warm smile that makes people turn into happy puddles of goo!

"Kalispéra Eléni mou, (Good evening my Eleni)" Herakles greets tiredly, his voice deeper than usual, the vibrations rumbling pleasantly in Eleni's chest.

"You should thank Leonidas for waking you. I thought I was going to miss you completely tonight," Eleni says, still soft and sweet, as if she's whispering a lullaby to put Herakles back to sleep again. Herakles can't go back to sleep now. Not now that he finally got through to her. He has so much to say. Questions only Eleni can answer. And speaking of which…

"Eleni mou? When you said 'Agápi mou' (My Love) to me earlier...did you mean it?" Herakles blurts out.

 _Here it comes. Confrontation time!_ Eleni mentally prepares herself. She takes a deep breath.

"Yes. I did mean it." Eleni admits, smiling again. No jokes. No flirting. No mischief. "There's….something that I've been...dying to tell you" Eleni begins to confess.

Herakles pulls his laptop closer to him. "I have something to tell you too," he admits quietly.

Both Greeks take a deep breath.


	13. Burning Questions, Burning Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herakles has a burning question for Eleni. She is burning to tell him something very important. Can she pass Herakles's test and confess her feelings, without getting burned?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part about the relationship between the concept of time and moussaka is from the official manga (Child Greece is trying to tell this to a sleepy Ottoman Empire. It's so cute!)

The silence is unbearable. Both Greeks are holding their breath in the still of the night. Separated by land and ocean. United by two laptops and the Internet! The joys of Technology! It's not going to solve the budding lovers' romance problems though. That is entirely up to Eleni and Herakles themselves.

"...You go first Herakles, you did call me first," Eleni offers, breaking the silence. 

"Ah...I...wanted to hear what you had to say," Herakles replies, "My confession...depends on what your answer is...to my question." He adds, with deep thought and care put into his words.

Eleni wonders if Herakles is like the goddess Athena. That she must pass Athena's trials if she is to become a true hero. Or in this case, pass Herakles' trial to win his love. Actually, this is much closer to the tale of Eros & Psyche. Psyche had to prove her love to Eros. And Eleni desperately wants to prove her love to Herakles!

"...OK Herakles, I'm ready. What is your question?" Eleni asks. She doesn't feel ready, but hopefully she can summon some Greek courage from...somewhere!

Herakles doesn't speak straight away. He looks hesitant too, looking at anywhere but his laptop screen! Eleni wants to prompt him. But she doesn't want to pressure him either, or spook him like a skittish cat. 

It seems like Herakles is more like a cat than he realises. He does what he likes, when he likes, and in the way that he likes. He likes to nap during the day, yet has incredible strength at night. If you suggest anything about food, Herakles comes running! He is also agile like a cat, as Eleni saw in the video recording when they sparred. Herakles' speed and footwork was frighteningly fast! He also has a punch more powerful than a cat punch: the Hellas Punch! But that ends up being reserved for sending Sadiq of Turkey flying through walls when they fight. Or so Herakles says!

Eleni smiles warmly as she thinks of Herakles' cat-like qualities. This prompts Herakles to tilt his head in curiosity. Seeing Eleni smile like that, makes him want to smile in return. "What's on your mind?" Herakles asks Eleni, beaming that criminally warm and loving smile of his.

This startles Eleni out of her thoughts! "Oh, just now? Or what I'm thinking in general? Is this your burning question?"

Eleni reels off several questions back. She wants to be absolutely sure that she doesn't fail Herakles' test!

Herakles blinks a few times. Well, at least Eleni is taking this seriously now, and not being flirty thirty then being shirty and skirting the issue! "I meant... what made you smile like that, while I was finding...the words to my question?" Herakles asks her curiously.

Eleni chuckles shyly.

"Oh! I,er..ahem, OK, please don't get angry or think I'm dumb?" Eleni pleads, "But I was just thinking, do you remember the time you told me you wished you could be a cat?" Eleni asks Herakles in a long winded way.

Herakles' smile gets wider and brighter, it's rivaling the Sun now! Eleni feels her heart missing a few beats. 

"...Yes...I remember that," Herakles answers knowingly. How could he forget. Eleni was sat next to him on a hill in Paris, under a starry sky, and she kept taking his breath away in that greek goddess style dress she wore. Or was it that she listened to his theories and was willing to add evidence that floored him? Or that Eleni had fighting spirit? Or the way Eleni lovingly serenaded him with his own National Anthem? Or...passionate kisses in her arms?

Eleni interrupts Herakles' memories, by reeling off all of Herakles' qualities that are similar to a cat's. When she's finished, Herakles is left flabbergasted. A hole deep within him fills with warmth, and a certain powerful emotion he knows the name of very well. He feels it in buckets and spades for certain people and certain nations. These feelings are threatening to overflow for the little compatriot facing him on his computer screen. 

"So...what you're saying is...I'm a real cat?" Herakles asks in wonder.

"Yes. Yes, you are very much a cat stuck in a human nation's body!" Eleni confirms, nodding her head resolutely.

This makes Herakles break into quiet chuckles. It also opens an opportunity for him.

"And...do you like cats?" Herakles asks Eleni, hopefully.

Eleni is a bit perplexed by that question. She thought it was obvious how she feels about cats. The mischievous imp side of her decides to rear it's trolling head.

"No? I don't like cats…" Eleni begins.

Herakles feels like the World just stopped turning, with an ugly screech like a record abruptly stopping! 

_….what?!_ Herakles thinks with alarm and the threat of heart-break.

"....I freakin' LOVE cats!" Eleni explodes and gets very animated with her hands! "They're amazing! Did you know their spines twist when they fall so they always land on their feet? Have you seen their cute ears twitch about like satellite dishes?! Their little noses when they brush against your hand?! Their antiseptic tongues?! Their toe beans on their paws-"

Eleni's word vomit about her love of cats is interrupted by deep laughter, coming from a very relieved Herakles.

"But...I've got more? I'm not done yet?" Eleni protests. 

"I still have my question for you," Herakles replies cryptically. Eleni stops talking, mentally preparing herself. Herakles takes a deep breath.

 _Here it comes_ Eleni thinks, ready for battle, no wait it's not a video game boss battle, it's a question! _Give it to me already!_

"You love cats...and you think I am like a cat...so...do you love me?" Herakles asks hesitantly.

Eleni is floored. Her breath leaving her. Somewhere in her memory of the video recording from that night under a starry sky, Herakles had asked a similar question:

"Do you love me because I'm Greece? Or...?"

At the time, Eleni didn't know. Herakles had summed up her feelings as "not no, just not right now". In the right here, right now, Eleni was more than ready to answer this question with No Fear.

 _He might say no because he is carefree and not tied down to relationships._ Eleni's brain oh so helpfully supplies.

_OK, One Fear!_

It's happened to her before, with an old friend. He'd asked how Eleni felt about him. Eleni confessed her love. The friend rejected her feelings, but told her they still wanted to be her friend. For five years, that friend continued to flirt with Eleni, confusing her to no end. Eventually, the friend abandoned Eleni, without even saying goodbye! 

Come to think of it, no wonder Eleni has become blind to others flirting with her. No wonder she sabotages her own attempts at romance. No wonder she kisses and runs before it gets serious.

_Will Herakles reject me too like that? I like to think that he's very different! There's so much I have to tell him!_

_It's time to find out._

Eleni takes a deep breath.

"I... told you once that I wanted to get to know you. What you're like away from your Nation duties...To see if I could trust you. Trust that you could...care for me...like I would care for you." Eleni begins her answer, "It's an Animal Kingdom thing too, females being choosy about their partners, scientific fact!" She adds hastily, like a teacher. Herakles just smiles endearingly at Eleni. She has no idea what that smile means, but it's giving her courage to carry on!

"Do you... remember the message I sent you yesterday?" Eleni asks anxiously. 

"How could I forget? That's why I wanted to talk with you!" Herakles replies incredulously. 

Eleni feels a bit sheepish for that. It was practically a love confession! A real "cat's out of the bag' moment!

"I...meant what I said. And there's more! Your smile makes me... turn into a happy puddle of goo!" Eleni gushes, her thoughts spilling out without a filter. "Your daft theories keep me up all night, because I love listening to you! You love cats and so do I!" Eleni confesses with a lot of animated hand gestures. 

"You're the most kindest, gentlest and sweetest man I've ever met…"She begins with such endearment, "but you could break me in half!" She sounds more awed than frightened!

"By 'eck, I'd _let_ you break me in half when you go all stern and military commander on me!" Eleni's voice drops an octave with seductive want.

"Your laughter is music to my ears! Your dancing is poetry in motion…" Eleni compliments Herakles like a poet praising their muse.

"It...doesn't help that I...fancy the freakin' pants off you-" Eleni's oh so eloquent blatant honesty makes Herakles burst into laughter and hold his sides. He almost misses the next bit from laughing so hard.

"You make me think about kissing you, all the time!", which sounds a little desperate to Herakles' ears under his laughter. 

"I dream about you...and you give me the sweetest dreams...sometimes I don't want to wake up...because I know you won't be there," Eleni reveals bittersweetly. 

Herakles stops laughing. He can see Eleni's eyes welling up with tears. She takes a shaky breath, looking away from the camera to pull herself together. 

"...And I'm in love with you…" Eleni finally gives the answer Herakles has been waiting for. "But I'm afraid you'll run from me for it...everybody else did. So….I've been running first instead..." she admits brokenly, trailing off at the end.

Herakles is lost for words. He should feel overjoyed, Eleni admitted finally that she loves him, for simply being himself! But the ending? Well that explains why she kept backing out of passionate moments and running away. Yet...Herakles cannot help but feel anger rising too. 

Anger at those who hurt his compatriot and made her feel unworthy of love.

Anger at those who made her cry and left her frightened to love.

Anger at...he feels his fists clenching and his scowl deepening!

"I'm sorry…" A frightened whimper brings Herakles back to the present. On the screen, Eleni looks scared and she's trembling, trying to keep from crying.

"Are you angry at me...for what I said?" Eleni asks, voice wobbling with fear.

Herakles realises belatedly that Eleni saw him getting angry, and misunderstood! The anger leaves him instantly.

"No no, Eleni mou (my Eleni), it's not at you" Herakles tries to soothe her. "I'm...angry at the ones who hurt you. The ones who ran from you! The ones...who made you afraid...to love," Herakles ends, feeling baffled. He doesn't understand, after everything he has seen and heard from Eleni, why anyone would reject her.

He sees Eleni smiling at him onscreen, but it doesn't reach her eyes. 

Herakles pulls his laptop even closer to him. Of course it doesn't bring Eleni closer to him. But he wants her to see his eyes and believe him.

"Eleni mou...I did say...that I had to tell you something important too," Herakles begins. Eleni straightens her back and leans closer to her laptop screen. She looks Herakles straight in the eyes, focused and listening intently.

"I...want to...be nearer to you...more often," Herakles confesses carefully but with a quiet passion.

Eleni breathes in sharply.

"I want to give you...what you've been missing…" Herakles offers sweetly. 

Eleni gives a quiet, breathy gasp of shock.

Herakles leans back now, and makes a slow, delicious show of stripping off his tight, white t-shirt.

"And...I want to show you…" Herakles' voice drops an octave with seductive intentions, "...how Greeks make love!" He ends, voice softer than bedsheets and full of passionate promises. 

Eleni's eyes widen comically, she snorts out a laugh and covers her mouth in shock at the last statement. Her shoulders are shaking, and Herakles can hear her shocked giggles.

Eleni should have seen this coming really. Herakles had never been shy about his sexual advances, ever since the Nations Ball! But she still didn't believe that Herakles had been serious. She thought it was just flirty behaviour and nothing more!

Herakles watches Eleni laugh, allowing her joy to spread through him. Herakles decides to lean over the laptop on his forearms, giving Eleni a spectacular view on the screen of his broad chest and bulky shoulders. His longer hair at the front drift down towards the screen, green eyes with gold flecks in the irises looking at Eleni with barely subdued passion. Eleni quietens down very quickly, paying rapt attention. It's as if Herakles is right there with her on her bed, leaning over her. Close enough to touch. Close enough to pull him in for a kiss, and a lot more!

"Let me love you," Herakles makes an impassioned request that steals Eleni's breath away.

"Oh trust me, I would, if you were here...or if I was there with you," Eleni replies breathlessly and a little desperately.

Herakles lifts one hand to touch the screen. "At least we have...this?"

Eleni also touches the screen to match where Herakles is touching. "Yes...it's better than love letters that might get lost in the post?"

Both Herakles and Eleni break out into laughter, Eleni's joke saving them from falling into melancholic pining.

When Eleni gets her breath back after laughing so much, she tilts her head to the side with a question.

"So...you're saying that...you like me too?" Eleni asks shyly.

"...Yeah," Herakles admits, "More than like,"

"...OK!" Eleni says, biting her lip and looking down, still processing the idea that Herakles didn't reject her! "So...where do we go from here? Do we...make more Skype calls? Can we...kiss at meetings now?....Can we visit each other?" Eleni asks tentatively.

Herakles smiles so warmly and endearingly at Eleni, that she feels herself beginning to spontaneously combust already!

"Well, more calls will depend on my Internet costs. But if you can ring me, I will pick up," Herakles assures her.

"Visiting each other will be harder," he admits sadly. "We will have to work more and save more for flight tickets...or another way to travel?" Herakles speaks hopefully. "I have my Catamaran? I could sail to find you!"

Eleni gasps with surprised joy. "Like Odysseus on his journey back to Ithaca?" 

Herakles smiles even more brightly at the Ancient Greek reference, pride flowing through him! Another thought concerning Ancient Greek mythology has Herakles growing bolder. He leans closer to the screen, still shirtless, and his eyes closing half shut with lust.

Eleni involuntarily shivers with want and lets out a sigh of desire.

"As for... _kissing_ at meetings…" Herakles begins, and stops for a moment to collect his thoughts. Eleni waits with antici….pation!

"We could...be _doing..._ much _more_!" Herakles suggests, emphasising certain words that have Eleni squirming in her seat!

"I want...to be...the Ares to your Aphrodite," Herakles purrs to Eleni through her laptop's speakers. Eleni's breathing sharpens with a gasp. Herakles is heavily implying that he wants to recreate the gods' passionate love affair!

"I want to be...your Menelaus," Herakles promises sweetly, making Eleni gasp happily again. Menelaus was Helen of Troy's husband, who went to war to bring his kidnapped wife back! Talk about dedication! So Herakles is implying he will dedicate himself to this new relationship!

"And...I want to be...the Odysseus to your Penelope," Herakles adds more softly, leading to Eleni biting her lip and reaching to touch the screen, lovingly tracing where she can see Herakles' face. Eleni knows that Penelope was Odysseus' faithful wife, who waited for her husband's return from the Trojan War for over 20 years. Eleni also knows what happened between Odysseus and Penelope towards the end of The Odyssey, and to think that Herakles wants to recreate the couple's devotion, with her? It makes her very flustered indeed! 

"...Agápi mou," Eleni begins, her voice weighted with love. Herakles sits up and takes notice.

"You did it again, you called me your Love!" Herakles whispers excitedly to Eleni with a shocked smile.

"Of course you are...agápi mou," Eleni adds more softly and sweetly at the end, sending Herakles into frustration that he can't just jump through the screen and hug his...girlfriend? Lover? _Ah, same thing!_ He decides.

"Actually...I've been meaning to ask," Eleni starts shyly, with a hint of confusion in her voice.

"Hmm? Herakles hums, inviting Eleni to continue.

"...What are we now? Boyfriend and girlfriend? Or just a loose term like lovers?" Eleni asks, looking genuinely puzzled.

Herakles thinks on this too now. "Does it matter to you?" he asks.

"Well, to you and me, we know what we are...definitely more than friends!" Eleni thinks out loud. "But...if other people and nations ask...what are we to them? Or...does that not matter either? Is our relationship none of their beeswax?" Eleni back-tracks, giving Herakles options for answers.

Herakles chuckles at Eleni's last sentence. "Did you just say... Beeswax... instead of Business?!" Herakles asks in disbelief.

"Oh yeah, it's more British slang!" Eleni cheerfully admits.

_She really does love word-play..._

Herakles shakes his head. He can't believe he's about to say this:

"I would say...it is none of their...Beeswax?"

Eleni erupts into peals of laughter, putting her hand over her mouth to drown out the loud noise. 

Herakles is very pleased that his attempt at British slang had the desired effect of making his little lover laugh. But…

"Why are you covering your mouth Eleni mou?" Herakles asks, genuinely puzzled. "I like it when you laugh!"

"Awwww," Eleni coos with affection for her...lover? _Yeah, Herakles is my lover now, oh goodness gracious me!_ She thinks in shock and still counting her lucky stars! "I need to be careful. I'll wake up Arthur!"

 _Oh right. I forgot...that she doesn't live alone!_ Herakles thinks belatedly. This could make visits to the UK a little more difficult. Especially if Herakles wants to get "passionate" with Eleni, but Arthur can hear them in the next room! Not that Herakles cares. But Eleni clearly does, since she lives with Arthur. The younger Nation who pretends that he is a crotchety old man would take great pleasure in teasing Eleni. Making her romance difficult for his amusement. Like banging on the walls and yelling out of spite! Much like a certain old man across the way from Greece who likes to ruin Herakles' day and he still has fights with! Herakles frowns at that thought. He'll have to plan ahead, find cheap accommodation, etc.

 _We can make it work if we try, right?_ Herakles wants to try. Eleni has shown that she wants to try too, she did return his Skype call in the end. Even if it was 'accidentally' answered by his cat, Leonidas! Herakles suspects that his cat his far more intelligent than he lets on. If Leonidas hadn't cat punched and head-butted his human master awake, Herakles and Eleni would be have been stuck in emotional limbo for the rest of the night!

 _I should...say sorry to my cat!_ Herakles thinks belatedly. _Give him some of my Gyros...maybe?_

"Mraow?"

_Oh. Speak of the devil and he shall appear!_

Leonidas makes a return, bounding up to the bed, and sniffing at the laptop screen. Eleni can be heard cooing Leonidas' name affectionately from the laptop speakers. Herakles meanwhile, is trying to stop his nosey cat from stepping on any keyboard buttons! He grabs the cat under his fluffy belly with both hands, and lifts him to his chest. Herakles is kneeling now, as Leonidas is cuddled against his Master's chest.

Eleni is chuckling and smiling sweetly at the cat.

"Give him some hugs and ear scratches for me please!" Eleni asks sweetly, attention clearly taken by the cat now.

Herakles has an idea. He decides to hold up one of Leonidas' paws and wave it at Eleni. Eleni laughs, and it's music to Herakles' ears!

"Say Kalinixta (Good night) Leonidas," Herakles says, still waving the cat's paw about.

"Mraaaaow!" Leonidas the cat meows unhappily. He is clearly not impressed with his current position!

"Oh dear! Poor Leonidas! Kalinixta Leventis mou! Óneira Glyká! (Goodnight my handsome, brave young man! Sweet dreams!)" Eleni says sweetly to the cat.

Herakles decides to give Leonidas his dignity back, by lifting the cat over the laptop to let him drop to the ground beside the bed. Crisis averted! No wrong buttons pressed, the Skype Call is still going. 

"Agápi mou?" Eleni asks weakly. Herakles looks back at the screen. He can see her lying down on her side on the mattress, still facing towards him, but clearly tired. She stifles a yawn.

"I...have to say Kalinixta too now," Eleni sadly admits. She stifles another yawn and rubs her eyes to try to keep them open.

Herakles glances at the time on the laptop: 4am Athens time.

 _...Á Panayía mou! (By the Virgin Mary!) We talked for hours! No wonder she's tired!_ Herakles thinks with surprise, wondering how the time went by so fast! Speaking of time…

"It's too early to go to sleep now," Herakles laments to Eleni, "I haven't told you yet about the relationship between the concept of time and Moussaka!"

Eleni starts chuckling. "Éksipnos mou, s'agapó! (My clever one, I love you!)" She tells Herakles, the words making his own heart skip a few beats. It's been a long time since anybody told Herakles they loved him personally!

"I'm so sorry, I'm falling asleep now. It's...bloody hell, 2 in the morning! I want to hear more about the relationship when...yawn...I'm more awake and...yawn...can help you with...evidence," Eleni protests between yawns. "I'm not much use...to you...if I'm...asleep," her voice drops to a sleepy whisper.

"Well, you could keep me warm? If you were here with me?" Herakles offers. Eleni just sighs and reaches her hand out the screen to touch it with a small sigh.

"Ugh...I just realised...I should get out of...my work clothes…" Eleni looks down at her secretary suit and pulls at it. Without thinking, Eleni sits up slowly, and starts unbuttoning her jacket. She slips it off. Herakles is trying to stay calm. 

_She's just getting undressed, this isn't a strip show...like I did earlier…_ Herakles mentally reasons with himself, trying not to get excited. 

Except that Eleni starts unbuttoning her shirt, and she's full on facing Herakles! Button by button...more and more skin being revealed to Herakles. He tries to remain cool. He has seen her body before. He undressed her into a night dress when she fell asleep on the night of the Nations Ball.

The shirt is slipping slowly down Eleni's shoulders. She's blatantly looking at Herakles now, with a small smile on her face. Herakles watches in fascination, as Eleni's shirt falls off in slow motion. Herakles is still watching as Eleni's hands slowly move up to unclasp her bra. Herakles is watching with serious interest now…

Until Eleni picks up her fallen shirt and plops it over her laptop screen with a cheeky smile! 

"Hey! That's not fair!" Herakles protests to a blacked out screen.

"Naughty naughty," he can hear Eleni sing song cheekily, despite the blackout caused by the black shirt.

"I took my shirt off for you!" Herakles protests again.

"Efharistó Pára Polí!" Eleni says sweetly. Herakles just shakes his head. Suddenly the black out ends, and Eleni is revealed in a cute vest and shorts pyjama set. She lies back down on the bed and waves at the screen.

"Yia sou palé Agápi mou (Hello again my Love)," Eleni whispers as sweetly as she can, but she's clearly about to fall asleep very soon. Herakles smiles warmly at her. 

"You should...go to sleep now," Herakles reluctantly acknowledges.

"...Gonna miss you," Eleni whispers, with a small smile, trailing her fingers wistfully down her screen where she can see Herakles.

"We'll speak soon" Herakles reassures her.

"...Who's calling first?" Eleni asks, getting comfortable.

"You called this time...so it's my turn," Herakles decides.

Eleni is too tired to argue about putting Herakles out of pocket. She does manage a sweet smile and a whisper of "S' agapó (I love you)".

Herakles smiles back, drawing a love heart shape with his index finger on the screen.

"Na ta poúme (We'll talk soon)" he says lowly but with promise. With one final look at his tired but smiling Lover, Herakles presses the "stop call" button. 

The video call screen on both laptops go black. Both Lovers linger a little, their fingers touching where they saw each other on screen. Both the Greek lovers press the power buttons to shut their laptops down.. Their screens go fully black. Two laptop lids are slowly closed. 

One Lover flutters her eye-lids shut and rolls over, snuggling into the duvet, and whispering how much she loves Herakles. 

The other Lover puts his laptop on a bedside table, pets his cat Leonidas and tells him how much he adores Eleni. Both Lovers marvel that they are now each other's Lover, before falling fast asleep.

Two lovers separated by land and ocean. United in their hearts.


	14. I miss your voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been three months since Herakles and Eleni became an official couple. Yet, they haven't physically seen each other for three months! Herakles finds that he misses the sound of Eleni's voice. In another long distance call, they talk about a kitten rescue, cool bugs, and...thighs of steel?! Well this is Herakles Karpusi of Greece AND Eleni we're talking about here, their conversation is guaranteed to get weird at some point! If you're still reading, read on!

"Ýrtha! (I'm home!)" Herakles called out, as he stumbled tiredly through his front door. A tail rose upright in the air with curiosity, and the pitter patter of paws on the tiled floor could be heard making their way over to Herakles. He stooped down as the cat approached, petting the furry friend's ears and earning a rumbling purr of "Welcome Back!". 

Herakles was used to living without human company. The cats were enough. Sometimes his brother from Cyprus would visit, but that was about it. Yet, recently in the past few months, Herakles had begun to think a little differently. Wondering what it would be like if someone literally said "Welcome home" when he walked through the door. 

_ What would it be like...if she welcomed me home?  _ Herakles thought as he petted the cat, his thoughts drifting to a fellow Greek dear to his heart, but currently far away in another country. It wasn't the first time he had thought of bringing her home. Not just to his lands where her forefathers were born, but to his actual house. Herakles smiled as he thought of all the times they had met, in person and through technology. No matter the method, the response was always the same: Open smiles, open arms, and an open heart. 

A wave of longing washed over Herakles' heart. He wanted to hear her praise for him. Feel the love in her words. Ached to hear her voice again. As if the saints had heard his thoughts, or some mischievous old god, Herakles saw his laptop sitting on his coffee table. 

_ There is a way to hear her... _ Herakles thought hopefully. He picked up the laptop under one arm, lifted the cat on his other shoulder and made his way to the kitchen.

As the laptop booted up, Herakles was making himself a cup of Greek coffee. He dumped a teaspoonful of coffee and sugar into the water in the electric Briki, and gave it a few whirls with the spoon, like a wizard making a magical brew. Herakles' cups of coffee were magical, if a certain little Greek lady had anything to say about it. Herakles' thoughts wandered back down memory lane, as he remembered drinking coffee with Eleni in the back kitchen at European meetings. It was like their secret base, where they talked about everything and nothing. Whispering secrets to each other, and planning dates together. Their private haven away from the rest of Europe.

The familiar musical ring of Skype played from Herakles' laptop. He cast his gaze away from the electric Briki to glance at the screen.

_ Eleni calling _

Herakles's surprise quickly melted into endearment. 

_ Ah. She got there first!  _ He thought fondly. He tapped on the green telephone symbol. A video chat box popped up, with a familiar face.

"Kalispéra (Good evening) darling!" Eleni practically sang to Herakles. 

"Kalispéra Eleni mou (Good evening my Helen)," Herakles replied with soft and deep affection. "How are you? You sound happy…did something good happen?" He asked curiously.

"I'm always happy to talk to you hun, and something good did happen...I called you!" Eleni replied happily, smiling openly at Herakles. They may be at opposite ends of Europe, but Herakles could still feel the love and affection from his little compatriot burning brightly like a fire in his heart.

Herakles wanted to pull Eleni through his laptop screen and kiss her. Show her how much he appreciated her showering him with love and praise, even from so far away. Herakles may be as physically strong as the demi god he was named after, but even he couldn't bend the laws of physics. Instead, he drew a heart shape on the screen with his index finger. Eleni giggled lightly at the gesture and made a heart shape with her hands over her chest in return. Herakles was about to return the cute gesture, when he heard the Briki whistling.

"Ah...my coffee! Talk to me Eleni, I'm listening," Herakles called out, as he stood up abruptly to retrieve his forgotten hot beverage.

"Oh! I should make myself a Greek coffee too. I can't beat the way you do it though, your cups are magic!" Eleni praised Herakles genuinely, as she watched him pour his coffee from on high into the cup to get the velvety bubbling frothy top. She couldn't see his face, but Herakles was grinning ear to ear, and enjoying the happiness bubbling in his heart from Eleni's words.

_ I don't need a doctor to give me a pill to cure love... _ Herakles thought in bliss,  _ Just give me my girl's sweet words and voice! _

Herakles turned around back to the laptop, and leant against the cabinet with an easy smile, the tendrils of steam from his cup of Greek coffee framing his face like a mysterious Oracle. Eleni rested her cheek in her hand and smiled brightly back at Herakles onscreen.

"Come on Love, what happened to you today? Spill the beans!" Eleni encouraged Herakles to talk. He looked up at the ceiling in thought, as if the ceiling fan had the answers. As Eleni listened with interest, Herakles recounted his blur of a day. Meetings, GDP reports, some more ideas on his theory of Chaos and Cats, and rescuing a kitten from a roof on the way home all led Herakles to this moment in time. 

Suddenly, he twitched, and had to put his coffee down for a moment. Herakles took his draped jacket off from his shoulders. There was movement in the large inside pocket of the jacket. Eleni watched curiously, as the pocket wiggled and jiggled. A small, ginger furry head with pointed ears emerged, squeaking out a high pitched meow! Eleni cooed with delight as Herakles brought out the little wriggle monster.

"Is that the kitten you saved?" Eleni asked excitedly. Herakles nodded, cradling the kitten in his forearms carefully. The kitten sniffed at Herakles' chest and saw fit to settle in the crook of his arm.

"Well hun, you may not be hearing it at work, but you're a hero to the cats and me!" Eleni told Herakles sweetly. Herakles scratched the back of his neck with his free hand, letting out a small but soft laugh, and feeling his cheeks blush. No one had called him a hero in a long time. Perhaps this was why he kept coming back to Eleni: She made him feel wanted, in spades!

"Ah téh Góri (Come on Girl), now it is your turn to…'spill the beans'!" Herakles encouraged Eleni to talk now, emphasising the British slang term with inverted commas using hooked fingers. It brought out an endeared laugh from Eleni.

"No affront to your manliness hun, but you are so adorable when you do that, when you put the effort in to learn other people's languages!" Eleni praised Herakles again, "If you were here right now, I'd grab your face and kiss you!"

Herakles gently lowered the kitten on the cabinet, and leant in closer to the laptop screen on his forearms. 

"Yeah?" Herakles asked, with a warm and hopeful lilt in his voice. His eyes blazed with simmering passion, causing Eleni to gulp and cover her now flustered face! She recovered after a few moments, chuckling quietly.

"Yes, I would. But seeing as you're not here, I can't. You'll just have to make do with me blowing kisses at you through the screen!" Eleni replied, looking disappointed. Herakles wasn't put off though.

"Give me them... I want them all!" Herakles replied softly but deeply. Eleni chuckled again, and blew several kisses to Herakles onscreen. She outright laughed when Herakles made a "keep it coming!" motion with his hands. She delivered though, blowing more kisses at the screen, much to Herakles' delight.

"Are we done now? Are you full? I'm all out now!" Eleni asked through giggles.

"For now...until we meet," Herakles replied. "Then I will give you all of my kisses!"

Eleni leant her forehead into her hand, trying to hold back her laughter of disbelief.

_ Well, you wanted romance Chuck. Be careful what you wish for!  _ Eleni's conscience crowed a warning. But when Eleni looked up at the screen again to see Herakles looking back at her with a mixture of endearment and longing, well her conscience's warning was binned harder than an unwanted pamphlet from the Brexit Party!

A curious high pitched meow from the kitten distracted both Greeks. As Herakles turned around, he was reminded that he had abandoned the kitten, who was now investigating the also abandoned cup of hot coffee!

"Vré! (Oi you!) I think you are too young for that!" Herakles gently scolded the kitten, as he pulled the nosey scamp away from the hot coffee cup.

Eleni laughed out loud.

"Careful now, he might turn into a coffee thief!" Eleni giggled. Herakles cradled the protesting kitten in one arm, and held his cup of coffee high in his opposite hand. He took a sip. The kitten looked up and gave a short scream. Herakles looked down at the kitten unimpressed, like a strict cat dad.

"House Rule Number one" Herakles stated softly but firmly, "No stealing my coffee!" 

Eleni laughed on screen quietly. The kitten looked away and snuggled into Herakles' chest. Suddenly, Herakles gave a stark look of discomfort and let out a small but shocked cry. He put down his coffee again, and plucked the kitten away from his chest by the scruff of the neck. He lifted the kitten up so they were face to face, holding a hand under the kitten as a safety net.

"House Rule Number Two: Do not bite my nipple! I am not your Máma!" Herakles stated firmly to the kitten.

Eleni laughed louder and harder this time, as Herakles lowered the kitten to the ground. The cat from earlier entered the kitchen, and the kitten scampered over to investigate the newcomer. The adult cat sniffed at the kitten. The adult began to chirp at the kitten. The kitten meowed back. After some back and forth kitty communication, the adult cat began to lick the kitten.

"Are you seeing this Eleni?" Herakles said in awe just above a whisper, turning the laptop around so the screen showed the cats. Eleni watched in delight as the adult cat bathed the kitten.

"Aww! That's so sweet! Your cat has just adopted the kitten! She's going to be a Mother now!" Eleni gushed quietly.

"She? Oh...I thought that cat was a boy...I called him 'Sergeant'!" Herakles revealed, looking a bit confused and sheepish. Eleni chuckled again.

"Well, women can be Sergeants in the army!" Eleni offered. Herakles looked surprised and shook his head.

"Not in the Greek Army. Women can serve voluntarily...we have some in the medical unit...and the offices...and as pilots and in the Navy... but they are banned from combat," Herakles replied somberly. Eleni's jaw dropped in shock. She wanted to go into a rant about women's rights, equality, and their right to fight to protect their loved ones. But the desperate look of "Please don't fight me on this" on Herakles' face made Eleni sigh with resignation instead. Not that she was going to join the Greek Army anytime soon. But if you asked Eleni if she would defend Greece to the death, she would tell you that she would. Much to Herakles' horror if he ever found out! 

"So...what did you do today? You didn't answer my question earlier," Herakles changed the subject swiftly.

"Are you sure you want to know? It wasn't the best day I've ever had," Eleni admitted reluctantly.

"If I can bore you about my day, you can bore me about yours," Herakles replied sternly. Eleni let out a snort of laughter. 

"It cannot be as boring as a meeting about GDP...you are doing science!" Herakles reminded her. 

"That's true I suppose…" Eleni agreed. So she launched into an account of her last 2 weeks. She started regaling Herakles about a field trip where she stomped around in knee deep mud on wetlands, checking out the wild flowers springing up, listening to the sweet songs of Skylark birds, and avoiding angry looking cows! Then she told Herakles about a funny video showing orchid flowers that look like female bees and wasps, and laughing loudly with the whole class as one poor male wasp was swinging wildly around on an orchid as if it were Tarzan! 

"We actually pin-pointed the moment that the wasp realised 'Oh! I've been fucking a flower!'" Eleni told Herakles, making him break out into slow and deep laughter.

Eleni saw fit to tell Herakles all about the Orchid Bees, and their unusual but beautiful colours of purple, blue, and green. Herakles looked impressed when Eleni sent him pictures of Jewel Beetles in pretty patterns and colours. He was even more impressed that the largest beetle in the world shares his name: Hercules! Herakles was surprised, along with Eleni, to find out that Ladybirds/Ladybugs are a type of Beetle! 

"The black carabid Beetles look so pretty under the microscope, I saw colours!" Eleni gushed. Herakles nodded, still interested. Somehow, Eleni's enthusiasm over something like cool looking bugs was infectious! It made him think of going into the forests to take a closer look at his own native bugs!

"But then we had to rip their heads off in dissection!" Eleni suddenly blurted out.

Herakles was ripped out of his pleasant reverie like a record being stopped abruptly with a screech! He looked alarmed and unsure of what Eleni just said.

"Yeah you heard that right. You know how some kids loved to rip off bugs heads for fun? I was the kid that used to run away screaming from the bugs!" Eleni admitted. It brought out more laughter from Herakles.

"But yeah, I had to dissect a big tooth from the beetle to measure its size. Under a microscope it looks easy, but you forget it's not that big! Soooo…I had to pull the head off first! They're dead already and hardened by IMS liquid but...yeah I had to be like the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland!" Eleni continued. "Off with their heads! Except instead of using an axe, I'm using tiny tweezers to pull off a beetle's head with a 'pop' noise!"

Herakles put his head in his hands and shook it regretfully.

"OK OK, you can stop there now…" Herakles intervened, clearly put off from drinking his coffee now!

"Ah. Opá! TMI?" Eleni asked ruefully.

Herakles nodded, knowing already that TMI meant "Too much Information"!

"You can still talk...just...no more about cutting dead bugs while I am trying to drink my coffee!" Herakles replied. Eleni chuckled, and changed the subject to something far more pleasant. She took part in a pub quiz with her international friends, and although they didn't win, Eleni got a full refund on her pub dinner because her dessert was delayed by 3 hours!

"So what happened today?" Herakles asked again. Eleni looked squeamish. 

"Ah teh Góri (Come on Girl), you can tell me?" Herakles encouraged her. With a frustrated huff, Eleni reluctantly told Herakles how she had been given the run around to different departments who had no idea what they were doing. Welcome to the world of academics folks!

"I may as well be a football being bounced around, with lots of cries of "Ouch!" to the tune of someone playing the BBC's "Match of the Day" football (soccer) theme on a kazoo badly!" Eleni joked.

Herakles tried not to laugh, really he did try.

"Góri, I can't feel bad for you if you keep making me laugh!" He spluttered through snorts of barely restrained laughter. Eleni grinned happily.

"Good, that's my plan sweetheart!" She replied enthusiastically. "Something else funny now, I ended up at the wrong office because there are two Biology tutors with the same name! I had to run up and down 4 flights of stairs 4 times! All that just to talk about my project proposal for my third year!" Eleni complained. 

"Oh well, it's making my thighs stronger. I got thighs of steel baby!" Eleni added optimistically, slapping her thigh to show her pride. Herakles raised one eyebrow in interest. 

"Oh really?" He asked, his voice dropping an octave. Eleni was too excited to notice.

"Yeah! All this running up and down the science building for the past two years has powered me up! My self defence teacher set us a challenge at the local gym: to see who could squat against the wall for the longest! Everyone else got between 1 and 3 minutes. Guess what my time was?" Eleni babbled excitedly. Herakles held his chin as he thought.

"Four minutes?" Herakles guessed.

"Nearly. It was 5 minutes!" Eleni replied triumphantly. Herakles gave a low whistle.

"Bravo Góri," He congratulated Eleni.

"Thank you hun. Like I said, thighs of steel baby!" Eleni replied enthusiastically, clearly having found a silver lining in the thundercloud of doom that had been her morning! Herakles looked deep in thought.

"Since you are a scientist, I thought we could make an experiment...to test your thigh strength" Herakles proposed an idea. Eleni blinked owlishly.

"What? Like crushing walnuts between my thighs?" She asked jokingly.

"Eh, not walnuts between your thighs…me!" Herakles replied nonchalantly. Eleni was startled.

"Wait, what? Crushing you between my thighs?! Honey no, I'm not that strong!" She laughed in disbelief.

Herakles waited a moment, smiling warmly with affection at Eleni, with  _ that  _ look in his eyes. Eleni knew it all too well. It was the look that earned Herakles his reputation of having many lovers; the look of seduction.

Eleni back tracked in her mind what Herakles had just said.

_ Not walnuts between my thighs, but him instead. Herakles between my thighs? Hang on a minute… _ Eleni pieced the puzzle together.

Herakles began to laugh slowly and deeply as Eleni's face went from puzzled to stark realisation, and then steaming red flustered!  Eleni felt her brain break in half with a pathetic fizzle.

_ I should have seen that coming!  _ Eleni thought in exasperation. The phrase "Still waters run deep" hit the nail on the head when it came to Herakles: stoic and quiet on the surface, passionate and  _ very horny  _ underneath!

All Eleni could do was just put her face in her hands, and groan Herakles' name in frustration.

"What? We could get  _ hours  _ of data. And it would be more fun than weights at the gym?" Herakles offered sweetly.

Eleni chuckled and hung her head back with her eyes closed, thinking  _ Give me strength, please! _

"Honey...I love you…but..." Eleni began.

"...But?" Herakles prompted her to continue. Eleni thought for a moment, then changed her mind.

"...Actually scratch that but…" Eleni replied, attempting to back track.

"Why do I need to scratch my butt?" Herakles quipped. Eleni burst into loud laughter, her shoulders shaking in mirth and her body reeling.

"I don't mean it like that!" She spluttered through her peals of laughter. Herakles shrugged his shoulders carefreely.

"It's a joke...hee...hee" He giggled deeply. Eleni wiped tears of joy from her eyes.

"Oh dear, I walked into that one didn't I?" She admitted, reduced to giggling now. Herakles looked pleased as punch.

"Mmhmm. Just like...the lamp post...that you said sorry to!" Herakles quipped again.

"Oh God!" Eleni groaned and threw her head back over-dramatically in exasperation. Herakles had clearly not forgotten that Eleni had walked into a lamp post once in Strasbourg, France, and apologised to it. Eleni blamed it on the British habit of apologising even when someone steps on you! 

Herakles put his thumb to his ear and his little finger to his mouth like a telephone.

"Émbros (Hello/telephone greeting)...this is God. Please leave an offering...and I will get back to you" Herakles spoke solemnly and softly. Eleni howled with laughter and clapped her hands in glee. 

"Wow, you're on fire today! I'm usually making you laugh!" Eleni giggled. She never knew that Herakles could be quite the joker! Eleni felt very privileged to see another side to her lover that he rarely exposed! Herakles smiled warmly at Eleni.

"I have a good teacher" Herakles replied, winking suggestively at Eleni. She giggled shyly and smiled with endearment back at him.

"I could teach you...how Greeks make love?" Herakles offered, with gentle but suggestive promise in his voice. Eleni laughed louder in shock. Sure they were lovers now and had done some "fooling around", but it was still early days for Eleni to take it that far.

"I have a 'project proposal' for you...you show me the strength of your thighs…" Herakles began. Eleni laughed out loud again in disbelief.

"...and I'll show you the strength of my love!" Herakles finished softly but with feeling.

Eleni stopped laughing abruptly at Herakles' words and soft tone of voice. Her face crumpled, then her body as she ducked down and her arms embraced her lap-top. The screen went dark, and for a few moments, Herakles could just about hear Eleni's quiet but rattling breaths. When she finally lifted her head up, her eyes had unshed tears threatening to spill out, and her smile was forced. Herakles was alarmed, worried that he had upset Eleni by pushing her too far.

"Agápi mou (My Love)..." Eleni began, her voice wobbling with emotion.

Herakles' heart skipped a beat. Eleni wasn't upset at him, just moved and overwhelmed with love and affection.

"...I really want you to show me your love...I really want to be with you right now...I miss you!" Eleni admitted, biting on her lip to hold back the dam of tears threatening to burst out. It was still early days, Eleni feared that Herakles would see her as "too clingy", and run from her. 

Surprisingly to Eleni, Herakles stayed exactly where he was. He had felt Eleni's pain and longing through her voice. Those last three words of "I miss you" felt like daggers in Herakles' heart. 

"Mou leebees (I miss you)...and I want you with me." Herakles openly admitted, he felt the same way as Eleni. "Are you coming to the next European meeting?" He asked hopefully. Eleni sniffled, breathing out in relief.

"If you're going, I wouldn't miss it for the world!" Eleni replied, smiling warmly at Herakles to reassure him.

"Can you get a one way ticket?" Herakles asked her.

"Why? Are you going to kidnap me?" Eleni asked teasingly, slipping into her default Troll Joker mode to lighten the mood.

"It wouldn't be kidnapping...I would be bringing you home...where you belong." Herakles replied lightly. Eleni felt her heart swell with both pride and love for her beloved nation.

"Sweetheart...as much as I want to come home to the Motherland...to you...you know I can't do that just yet." Eleni told him reluctantly. Herakles looked disappointed, heart-broken even.

"But if you want me to get a different return ticket from Arthur, so I can be with you for longer? I can do that," Eleni offered in consolation. Herakles leant closer over his lap-top, and Eleni's heart pulled a stop-start, breath stolen by Herakles' beauty as if he were hovering over her between bed sheets.

"Would you stay with me all night? Let me love you in the morning too?" Herakles asked, with full romantic intent and pining clear in his voice. Eleni's heart revved as if it were a car stuck in the mud, fluttering like a trapped bird against her rib cage. She sighed softly and caressed Herakles' face on the screen. 

"Absolutely" Eleni uttered softly, her own voice also laced with romantic intent and pining. Herakles smiled in relief.

"When I see you...I'm going to give you all the kisses you sent me," Herakles promised. Eleni chuckled lightly.

"Oh yeah? Well, when I see you...I'm going to take you to the kitchen...and kiss you senseless!" She challenged him, her voice turning suggestive with sweet promise. Herakles raised both of his eyebrows at the challenge.

"Oh? Well...you won't be leaving the kitchen...until I've kissed  _ all  _ of your body," Herakles raised the challenge, quietly but with passion. Eleni smiled openly, looking at Herakles on-screen with absolute adoration.

"Am I terrible and desperate for wanting next Tuesday to be now?" Eleni asked. Herakles shook his head, reaching out his fingers and caressing the screen gently where he could see Eleni's jawline.

"No Micrí mou (My Little One)...I want Tuesday to be today. Right now!" Herakles replied, unashamed of his own desire and desperation. Eleni's smile grew bigger, and she leant closer to the laptop, pillowing her head on her forearms.

The long distance lovers talked well into the night and early hours of the morning. Sun rise found them falling asleep in front of their lap-top screens, both unwilling to leave each other.

"Come home" Herakles had sleepily begged Eleni.

"I will...if you'll be my teddy bear?" Eleni sleepily proposed.

Before Eleni succumbed to the call of sleep, Herakles promised her that he would keep her warm everynight if he could. And after Eleni did fall asleep, Herakles watched over her like a guardian. A revelation came to him at that moment. Even if Eleni did talk his ears off, Herakles thought that he would rather hear the sound of her voice, than live alone in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Chuck" is Northern British English slang meaning "chicken". It's a term of endearment e.g. "How are ya' Chuck?" (How are you friend?)
> 
> The bit about a kitten biting Herakles' nipple is based on a true story. Someone I know who was looking after a kitten really did get bitten there during a cuddle session! It looked pretty painful!
> 
> All the science facts are what I learned in my classes this week! Including the Beetle dissection!
> 
> Weird fact of the day: Despite the stories of the women Amazon warriors in Greek Mythology, modern day Greek women are banned from combat tasks in the Hellenic Army! They get the same training as the men, and are subject to the same disciplinary action, but actual combat? Nope, current Greek law prohibits it!
> 
> The BBC has a football show called "Match of the Day", showing all the highlights of the day's football/soccer action in the UK, and any big tournaments that the UK teams play in such as UEFA Champions League, The FIFA Euro matches, and the World Cup matches. The old theme song is pretty catchy, and does sound quite funny when you play it on a kazoo!
> 
> My thighs are not made of steel, but it is a true story! Nobody at my local gym beat my wall squat time of 5 minutes this month, so I'm getting a free self defense lesson next week, woop woop!


	15. If you want hot, you have to look hot!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the night before they meet in person again since becoming an official couple, Eleni frets over what to pack in her bag for 60 hours. A suggestive selfie gets Herakles all fired up. Oh, and Herakles performs a striptease!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is fairly spicy in the NSFW department. *twiddles thumbs and whistles innocently*

_Am I going overboard?_

Eleni was holding up a pretty silk night dress. The kind that wasn’t even meant for sleeping in, but to entice a lover's hands to the wearer’s body and to keep them there! 

_Is there much point in taking any kind of night clothes? Sure I’ll need them for the first night...but the second night..._ Eleni thought logically, trailing off at the implications of what was going to happen on the second night of her stay. 

"Would you stay with me all night? Let me love you in the morning too?" Herakles had asked Eleni, with full romantic intent and pining clear in his voice. That had been last week in a very enjoyable Skype call that lasted the whole night! Now that Eleni was going to see Herakles in person the day after tomorrow, and spend the night with him, she was excited to say the least. An excited, and absolutely terrified mess to be exact. Her mind felt like someone had hit the panic button in an office, and the workers were running around flailing and freaking out!

 _I can’t believe it’s Sunday night already! In 2 days I’ll get to be with Herakles instead of pining like a moron over Skype!_ Eleni thought excitedly. _It’ll be the first time we’re actually together since we made it official!_

Eleni dropped the night dress, as the revelation hit her.

_Oh my God. We’ll actually be boyfriend and girlfriend...in person!_

_Eww. That sounds so corny. How old are you again, 13?_ Eleni’s inner cynical Brit piped up in disgust. 

_OK OK, fine. We’ll be official partners then!_ Eleni’s conscience conceded.

 _I’m fairly certain that even adults in steady relationships call each other boyfriend and girlfriend, I think the cynical inner Brit ate a burned scone for tea and ended up with constipation!_ The Devil on Eleni’s shoulder chimed in. 

_The correct term is “Indigestion”!_ The cynical inner Brit bit back.

 _Well something is stuck up your arse for you to be so pedantic!_ The shoulder Devil quipped.

 _OK OK, whatever! The point is, it’ll be our first day AND night together as an official couple!_ Eleni wrestled back control from her arguing splintered brain. She paced the room, trying to process that very important point.

It was a very important point not just in that moment, but in Eleni’s life as a whole. Eleni had never had a steady relationship before. For the first time in Eleni’s life, she had found a friend who had wanted to become her lover, and stay with her. She didn’t want to think about the complications of said lover being the currently immortal personification of her most beloved nation. That would just tip her over the edge from mad lad to raving loony! Instead, she decided to focus on what to take with her for the next 48 hours. Which brought Eleni back to her current predicament:

Does she need a sexy nightdress?

 _It’s Herakles, he probably won’t care. As long as it’s on your body, he’ll just take it off anyway!_ Eleni’s conscience advised.

 _But wouldn’t it be fun to wear something that will get him going? Get that tongue of his wagging and not for Moussaka for once?_ The Shoulder devil snaked in a very tempting idea.

 _It’s just another European Parliament meeting, not a Porn Star film!_ Eleni’s conscience advised.

 _Remember what happened with the Red Dress?_ The Shoulder devil casually mentioned.

_Ah, fuck it!_

Eleni rolled up the silk night dress and tucked it into her overnight bag. Along with several items of clothing that would send even Arthur Kirkland’s bushy eyebrows rocketing into space!

*********************************************************************************************************

Herakles was wired.

His heart was pumping, his brain on high alert too. Which was quite the change from the usual jet-lag after his flight from Athens to Paris, and thoughts floating around through space and eons. The reason for feeling more hot-wired than a jump started car?

 _I’m going to see...her tomorrow!_ Herakles thought fondly, a smile tugging at his face. That happy thought carried him through the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, the taxi to his hotel, and throughout his cheap take away dinner. That same happy thought startled him awake too from his jet-lagged nap. Feeling groggy, and blinking blearily, Herakles rolled over onto his side. He could see from the window that the sky outside had gone dark, and a few stars had come out to twinkle.

 _Wait...Eleni usually stays in this hotel too. She has to be here now, right?_ Herakles thought rationally. An uncomfortable lump against his thigh prompted Herakles to dig into his trouser pocket and fish out the offending “lump”. 

_Ah, my phone...I could call her?_ Herakles thought hopefully. _I’ve missed her…_

 _Vre! (Oi you!) Has your brain gone soft? You spoke to her last week! Do you want to look desperate?_ Herakles’ conscience butted in.

 _She’s my girlfriend...I want to talk to her..._ Herakles reasoned back.

 _“I miss you!"_ Eleni’s quiet but emotional admission from their last Skype call had felt like daggers in Herakles’ heart. Haunted by the hurt and desperation in her voice, Herakles decided to make the call. He pressed a button on his new phone, the old flip phone having unfortunately bitten the dust; it had fallen out of his pocket and literally bitten the dust down in an old archaeological dig-site!

_New message from Eleni_

_Ah! She got there first...again!_ Herakles thought in pleasant surprise. He opened up the Messenger app.

_Eleni: Kalispéra Agápi mou (Good Evening My Love)! I hope you got to your hotel OK? I’m in the same building as last time, got here a little earlier. I’m ready for bed now, can’t wait to see you tomorrow! Óneera Glyká (Sweet Dreams) Xxx_

Herakles smiled warmly, feeling Eleni’s friendly words float around his heart like a fluffy cloud and crush his cynical “play it cool” mentality. His thumb scrolled the screen down to see the attached photograph. Herakles froze.

The message had been friendly, but the photograph was far more than that! Eleni has sent a selfie of herself from above, with a cheeky open grin on her face. She was wearing a purple silk night dress with one strap having fallen carelessly off the shoulder, and revealing a tempting amount of cleavage and legs! Eleni was seated on a double bed, her hand patting the pillow beside her; an invitation to join her!

_Same building as last time...ready for bed...sweet dreams…_

Herakles pieced together the information in the message like a puzzle. He started typing out a reply.

_*********************************************************************************************************_

_I can’t believe I did that!_

Eleni was panicking about her boldness, what on Earth possessed her to do that?! Not only had she decided to put on the sexy silk night dress, but she’d taken a selfie of herself and sent it to Herakles!

 _Great. Well done. Now you just look like a desperate housewife looking for action from her wayward husband! So much for playing it cool!_ The inner cynical Brit berated her.

 _Since when did playing it cool net us a hot Greek boyfriend?_ The Shoulder Devil replied slyly. _If you want hot, you have to look hot!_

 _Yeah, I might have just landed myself in hot water!_ Eleni thought, playing nervously with the edge of her night dress. She had turned on the television as a distraction, to save herself from going stark raving bonkers over sending a cheeky and suggestive selfie to her boyfriend.

 _Boyfriend...oh God, will he still be my boyfriend after this? Did I take it too far?_ The unhelpful fretting started again. Eleni checked her phone for the time.

 _10.30...it will be time for bed soon. Herakles is probably sleeping off his jet lag by now. Maybe I should just go to sleep now too._ Eleni pondered.

The phone vibrated sharply and pinged, making Eleni jump in shock!

_New message:_

_Herakles: What is your room number?_

Eleni stared at the message, and reread it several times. Breathing in and out deeply for courage, Eleni typed her reply and hit the Send button. She flung the phone across the bed, to avoid temptation.

 _Maybe he's just coming down to say Goodnight. Have a little chit-chat maybe!_ Eleni's conscience supplied helpfully.

 _Are you kidding me? This is Herakles we're talking about here, flirty Love God extraordinaire! Mr Cat in the streets, Zeus in the sheets! Mr Can't keep his hands to himself if you so much as flash a bit of leg!_ The cynical Inner Brit squawked indignantly like a chicken in a bit of a flap. 

Eleni closed her eyes, falling into a memory from half a year ago. Dinner with Herakles as his good friend. Hand holding under a sky full of stars. Kissing lovingly under a streetlamp. Herakles' hands moving slowly but deliberately down her body in his hotel bedroom…

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Herakles' heart raced as he thundered down three flights of stairs. 

_If I'm fast enough...maybe she will still be awake...maybe..._ Herakles thought optimistically.

Floor Two...Floor One…

Herakles jumped the last three steps and broke into a jog through the corridor. He eyed the room numbers to his left and right.

Room 150...148…

Not wanting to overshoot Eleni's room, Herakles slowed his pace down to a stroll. His heart was still racing a mile a minute though. He had been expecting to see Eleni tomorrow. He'd never thought that she would pull a stunt like _this_ though! 

Room 139...137.

Herakles came to an abrupt halt. He fixed his disheveled hair and slightly rumpled clothing outside Eleni's hotel room door. He raised his hand to strongly knock on the door.

 _Please be awake, please be awake!_ Herakles prayed and pleaded in his head.

A few seconds passed. Herakles waited with bated breath. He tried to listen for footsteps, but his heart beating like a loud drum drowned out everything!

 _Stay calm...it's just Eleni..._ He tried to rationalise the situation.

The hotel room door opened.

Herakles stared. 

"Kalispéra Agápi mou! Éla méssa! (Good Evening My Love! Come inside!)" came a sleepy but sweet greeting. Herakles' arm reached out on its own to let Eleni pull him into her hotel room. 

_That photograph...doesn't do her justice!_ Was all Herakles could think, as he drank in the sight of Eleni before him. Her dark chocolate hair sitting loose in waves on her bare shoulders. A purple silky nightdress that dipped in a V-neck at her chest, soft cleavage partially revealed to invite soft kisses and gentle caresses. The dress curved over Eleni's hips and flowed down, stopping just above her knees. A perfect temptation for Herakles' wandering hands.

A loud bang broke Herakles out of his besotted ogling. Startled, he looked up to find it was just the hotel room door closing shut. Relieved, he looked back down, catching Eleni's gaze that was warmer and sweeter than rich Greek coffee. They were stood almost toe to toe. The air was thick with electricity and desire.

"...I see you got my message," Eleni spoke first to break the tension, a shy smile on her face.

"Yeah…" Herakles breathed out.

"I...got impatient...I couldn't wait for tomorrow!" Eleni admitted, breaking out into soft laughter.

Herakles' patience broke.

He swooped in, cupped Eleni's face with his warm hands and delivered an explosive kiss. _If you want hot, you have to look hot!_ That sinful suggestion from earlier came back to wave itself in Eleni's face. Well the kiss was definitely hot; sparks were flying! Three months worth of pent up desire and longing poured out of the lovers as they gripped each other tightly.

_You're here at last._

_And you're all mine!_

Eleni kissed back just as passionately, but felt herself melting in Herakles' heat. She wrapped her arms around Herakles' shoulders and stood on tip toes to ground herself. 

The ground gave way anyway. Eleni suddenly found herself in the air, as Herakles temporarily broke the kiss and lifted her up bridal style. Eleni whooped and broke out into light laughter again, quickly gripping Herakles' shoulders as she leant in to nuzzle her forehead against his. Herakles hummed with joy, as he connected his forehead and thoughts with Eleni. He reveled in the feeling of love and being loved in return. A soft nose nuzzle of affection and Eleni's look of utter adoration reeled Herakles in for another kiss. Long, slow and languid this time. Eleni was grateful she was being held onto, her knees would have packed up and gone on strike by now!

After what seemed like an eternity of loving lip to lip bliss, Herakles pulled back with one last soft but meaningful kiss. 

"So...you're ready for bed?" He asked Eleni quietly in a deep suggestive octave that she felt rumble straight to her core.

"Well I am...but you're clearly not," Eleni replied in her own suggestive voice, sliding her fingers from Herakles's shoulders to the base of his neck.

"Uh?" Herakles grunted in confusion.

"You still have your clothes on!" Eleni purred cheekily, pinching at Herakles' tight white T-shirt.

"Ah…" Herakles broke out of his romance-induced daze and looked down to notice that yes, indeed, he was still fully clothed! Eleni giggled softly with affection, and kissed Herakles' cheek. Herakles was working out how to get undressed with Eleni still in his arms, but her kiss brought him back to look at her; deeply besotted again. 

"Take me to bed, sé párakaló (please)," Eleni asked sweetly, the sound like honey to Herakles' ears. 

Herakles didn't need telling twice. Being careful not to trip, he carried Eleni carefully to the double bed. Eleni held on as Herakles leant down and gently placed her on the mattress. Eleni stole another kiss to the side of his eyebrow this time, laughing softly as Herakles pulled her close to him and peppered her face in more kisses!

Herakles pulled back, walked to the end of the bed and stood up tall. Eleni sat up against her pillow to get comfortable. She was excited, and bit her lip to stop herself from fan-girling. Herakles toed off his shoes and socks, and put them out of sight. Then he straightened up again, eyeing Eleni seriously.

He grabbed the hem of his tight white T-shirt with one hand and slowly lifted it up. Toned abdominals formed a light six pack. A broad chest with muscular pectorals looked inviting as a firm pillow to lay your head on. A second hand joined the first and Herakles pulled the T-shirt over his head in a rough but swift move. His toned biceps and thick forearms pulled out of the sleeves, flexing in a show of strength. With a deft flick of his wrist, Herakles flung the T-shirt across the room like it had offended him. A light pant of want escaped Eleni as she gripped the bed sheets, watching Herakles' every move.

Herakles slowly lowered his hands down to his khaki jeans. He popped open the button, and slowly lowered the zip. Herakles held eye contact with Eleni, keeping a serious but smouldering gaze as he slowly pulled his jeans down. He gracefully stepped out of each trouser leg, taking his time. Eleni broke eye contact to take in the rest of Herakles' body from the bottom up: Lean, long legs with strong, firm thighs. A pair of tight grey boxer briefs hugged Herakles' hips, doing nothing to hide his own raging excitement.

Eleni met Herakles' gaze again with an impressed "oof!", and fanned her face with her hand. Herakles was hot in every sense of the word!

"You like what you see?" Herakles asked playfully, hooking a thumb into the waistband of his underwear and pulling it down at the hip. Eleni got a flash of hip bone on one side. She made a show of biting her lip and stretching her body out, then curling her index fingers out to Herakles.

"Absolutely" Eleni slowly and lowly purred soft as silk, "Éla sé ména ómorfos mou (Come to me my handsome/beautiful man)!" She beckoned Herakles to her, like a siren to a sailor, smiling openly.

Herakles crossed the distance to the bed, leaning down on the bed to crawl over Eleni's body on his hands and knees. He moved like a powerful tiger on the prowl, and Eleni longed to be caught by him.

"Do you want me to strip too?" Eleni offered, as both shoulder straps on her nightdress slipped down to her arms. 

"No...I'll take it off...when _we're_ ready…" Herakles replied, assuring Eleni that he wasn't going to do anything without her permission. Eleni giggled again and reached out her arms to wrap around Herakles' shoulders. She lowered herself down the mattress to fit under Herakles.

As soon as he reached her face, they moved together for more long and loving kisses. Their fingers tangled in each other's hair. Eleni stroked Herakles' nape, earning deep hums of pleasure from him. Herakles began to kiss Eleni's jaw, and plant open mouthed kisses down her neck. Eleni arched her body up in pleasure like a wave.

Suddenly, Herakles felt a strong force clamp around his hips. Startled, he broke away and looked down his side. Eleni's thick thighs had squeezed against his hips, holding him in place.

"Oops! Was that too strong?" Eleni asked Herakles sheepishly, looking ashamed. Herakles blinked owlishly, then let out a small laugh.

"You did say last week that if I showed you the strength of my thighs, you would show me the strength of your love?" Eleni reminded Herakles, her voice low and sweet.

"Yeah...I did," Herakles admitted. "I will show you the strength of my love", he promised, rolling his hips against Eleni and earning a light moan of pleasure from her, "if you let me see these 'thighs of steel'!" He finished cheekily.

Eleni burst into laughter, and released her thighs from around Herakles' hips. Now free to move, Herakles shuffled down the mattress. He lifted himself up to sit on the side edge of the mattress, as Eleni shuffled away to make room for him. Herakles lifted Eleni's left leg first, getting a good look at it. Eleni tried not to giggle at the absurdity of the situation, but a silly grin was on her face. This pleased Herakles greatly. For him, love and making love was fun. Even though Eleni needed far more time to trust Herakles with her body, he would do whatever it takes to make sure she was having fun too.

Herakles reverently kissed along Eleni's scars on her ankle, and along the scar on her calf muscle. He gave her a soft look of appreciation, and held her gaze as he planted a kiss on the scar across her left knee. Eleni could hear Herakles' soft words of encouragement in her head.

_You're still here. You're stronger than you know._

Eleni bit her lip, and smiled to hold back the tears brought on by Herakles' devotional body worship. He gently held Eleni's left ankle and used it to bend Eleni's leg up and down a little, inspecting her thigh as the muscle flexed and contracted.

"So these are your…'thighs of steel' hmm?" Herakles asked Eleni. She snickered as Herakles looked curiously at the thigh. Herakles looked up to Eleni's face, giving her his disarmingly warm smile.

It was all the warning she got.

Herakles' free hand began to palm it's way slowly up her thigh. Eleni's giggles turned to a gasp. He squeezed her thigh firmly, massaging the muscle. Eleni hummed in pleasure. Herakles lifted her leg straight up, and leant down to press kisses all along the thigh, and under it. Eleni clamped her hand over her mouth to stop her moans out of embarrassment!

"If you like it...let me hear you!" Herakles encouraged Eleni again. As Eleni threw her head back and her spine arched off the bed in pleasure, Herakles continued to worship Eleni's thighs.

After leaving Eleni a sated and sweaty mess, Herakles maneuvered himself back between Eleni's thighs, and leant in close to whisper sensually in her ear. He pulled back as Eleni sat up on her knees and settled into his lap.

"Just follow my lead. Do you trust me?" Herakles asked her softly.

Eleni smiled affectionately down at Herakles.

"Yes" she whispered, tilting her head to meet Herakles in the middle.

The night was filled with hungry kisses, roving hands, and the sounds of two lovers reconnecting after months apart.


	16. The Secretary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Herakles wakes up and wonders if his night with Eleni was real. Her current state of dress for the day leaves him wanting Eleni to be his secretary for all the wrong reasons!

Herakles was in that pleasant realm between dreams, memories, and wakefulness. As his eyes opened and he shifted out of light sleep, he took in his surroundings. He was under a duvet on a double bed, but the similarities to his room ended there. The pillow smelled sweetly of vanilla and rose water, despite the lingering smell of  _ something else  _ from last night's activities. Had that been an erotic dream? Or was it real? The presence of another body in the bed next to him made Herakles a little more alert. Dark long hair tussled down to the shoulders, and a silky night dress hugged against her body. 

_ I'm in...Eleni's room? This has to be Eleni with me... _ Herakles thought hopefully. He certainly hoped so, because if this woman wasn't his girlfriend who he had his arms wrapped around, he would have an awful lot of explaining to do! She was turned away from him, and Herakles had a hard time believing that last night was real.

_ Last night... _ Herakles thought, as he drifted back into his memories.

_ Being woken up by a message from Eleni. That suggestive selfie. Running down to her hotel room. Holding her in his arms and kissing her finally after 3 months apart. Worshipping her 'thighs of steel'. And then...Eleni sitting in his lap, using her thighs to please him! The heat, the friction, Herakles' hands squeezing Eleni's soft skin, Eleni moving above him and chanting his name like a prayer...her sudden cry of passion and lust as she shuddered like an earthquake! He had gone over the edge soon after… _

When Herakles came to, this time he was alone in the double bed. He blinked and sat up uneasily, looking around bewildered. He hadn't suddenly moved rooms, and he swore he saw his T-shirt haphazardly discarded on the hotel room's desk.

_ Oh...so that's where it landed...I threw it... _ Herakles sleepily remembered from his impromptu striptease last night! As he looked around the room, he found traces of Eleni too: her travel clothes on hangers, her overnight bag with some clothes poking out of the top, and a pair of dark blue Converse high tops on the carpet. Herakles wasn't sure if he was still day-dreaming, but he swore he could see an embroidered patch of his national flag on one of the shoes. Curious, he made to get out of bed.

The bathroom door suddenly opened, catching Herakles' attention. He gaped, as Eleni seemed to walk past him in slow motion. She wore a crisp white shirt, open at the first two buttons just above her cleavage line. The shirt was tucked into a high-waisted black pencil skirt that hugged at her hips and bottom, stopping above her knees. She wore black stockings or tights underneath. Eleni was dressed smartly for the European Parliament Meeting today, but from Herakles' point of view, her almost figure hugging outfit was straight from an office fantasy! 

_ Panayía mou! (Oh my Virgin Mary!), Ópa ópa! She looks so...so... _ Herakles' entranced brain was like a train coming to a screeching halt after the brakes had been slammed on!

"Ah! Kaliméra Agápi mou! (Good Morning my Love)" Eleni greeted Herakles sweetly in surprise.

"Umm...Kaliméra…" Herakles mumbled, surprised that he had been caught staring. Eleni held up a little electric kettle for him to see.

"Coffee?" Eleni offered.

Herakles smiled warmly with deep affection.

"I take it that's a yes," Eleni added with good-natured teasing. She set the kettle down that she had already filled with water from the bathroom tap to boil. Then she busied herself getting her folder and hand bag ready for today's meeting. Herakles watched her in a daze. Or rather, stared at Eleni's behind in fascination as she shuffled about. That pencil skirt really accentuated Eleni's lower curves!

"You know, you can use my bathroom hun!" Eleni offered, noticing that Herakles hadn't left the bed yet.

"Oh. Umm…yeah..." Herakles mumbled, feeling embarrassed that he'd been caught staring again and hadn't started his day yet.

"Or do you want your coffee so you can wake up, Mr Sleepy-head?" Eleni asked teasingly. Herakles looked between Eleni and the bathroom. He was about to cheekily ask Eleni if she could wake him up, with a hug, maybe a few kisses, perhaps a little one on one action just to get the blood flowing! But then he felt Nature calling.

"Toilet…" Herakles mumbled, finally climbing out of bed and making the zombie walk to the bathroom. Eleni looked up just in time to see Herakles from behind; stark bollock naked! A well built upper back, toned waist, and firm peach of a bottom to boot made Eleni bite her lip with interest. The kettle whistled just as the bathroom door closed.

_ Yeah, you and me both! _ Eleni thought cheekily,  _ That's definitely a nice view to whistle at! _

By the time Herakles had finished from the bathroom, Eleni had made the hot beverages for them both. She tried not to drop the cups from ogling at her naked boyfriend-

_ Eee hee hee, he's my boyfriend!  _ The screaming fan girl in Eleni's brain, well, screamed! 

_ And he's naked! Nakey nokky nekkid!  _

The inner screaming fan girl carried on!

_ Yeah OK we get it, please stop singing Hestu's "The Naked Song" from "The Legend of Zelda :Breath of the Wild"game please. Next thing you know, you'll think the cups are maracas and shake them!  _ Eleni's conscience waded in to avoid the potential disaster of spilling hot coffee down her clothes!

Eleni chose to look at Herakles' face instead. Which didn't actually help much either.

_ Eee hee hee, he's my boyfriend! And he's so pretty!  _ The inner screaming fan girl was at it again. Eleni had to distract herself and fast!

"Here you go!" Eleni offered one cup of black sweet coffee to Herakles. 

"Umm...where's my underwear?" He blurted out, scratching his head and disheveling his bed head hair even more. Eleni had to admit, it was both quite cute and ridiculously sexy!

"Is it still in the bed? Try under the duvet first?" Eleni suggested. She put the cups down on the bedside table, and yanked back the duvet. Herakles found his boxers in a rumpled heap.

"Ah! How did you... know they were...there?" Herakles asked her, as he started to get dressed. Eleni looked embarrassed, her cheeks turned pink.

"Um yeah...about that...I helped you take them off last night…" Eleni admitted. Herakles gave her an easy smile and a look of _Oh really now? Wink-wonk!_

"You do remember what we did last night, right?" Eleni asked tentatively. Herakles looked up in surprise, as if he'd just been asked if the sea was purple! But as he slipped on his boxers, he gave Eleni his trademark disarmingly warm smile.

"So I wasn't having a nice dream...it was real then…" Herakles replied dreamily. Eleni chuckled shyly, as she handed Herakles his coffee. He thanked her and held the cup up, eyeing Eleni with affection over the rim.

"I got a taste of your…'thighs of steel'," Herakles quipped. Eleni laughed louder, grateful that she hadn't started drinking her tea yet, lest she snort it out through her nose in spectacular fashion!

"Mmhmm, you got a taste alright, I swear you mistook my thighs for the Christmas Roast Dinner!" Eleni bantered back. Herakles chuckled slowly and deeply.

"Mmhmm...being  _ between  _ your thighs...was even better…" Herakles purred, his voice dropped to a seductive octave. Eleni clamped a hand over her mouth to stop the embarrassed laughter coming out. It didn't work, her shoulders shook and her eyes widened in shock. Herakles looked at her, confused. It took Eleni a few moments to realise what was happening.

"I'm sorry for laughing, I just...get embarrassed when talking about...you know…relationships and stuff between the bed-sheets!" Eleni rambled, trying to explain herself.

"OK?" Herakles asked, looking bemused.

"Yeah," Eleni admitted, looking very sheepish.

"But...you were not embarrassed last night. Or the other nights we have been together?" Herakles asked, genuinely confused.

"Well, you make it easy. Being around you...with you...you make me feel...sexy!" Eleni admitted sheepishly. Herakles smiled, flattered by her compliment. 

"But once it's done and dusted, I still find myself thinking 'Oh my glob, did I really do that?!' Flirting with you is easy, but a relationship? I'm still a noob!" Eleni explained. Herakles tilted his head, confused by yet another piece of slang.

"Newbie. New" Eleni reiterated. Herakles made an "Oh!" in understanding.

"You have been very good so far," Herakles complimented Eleni, causing her to smile shyly, look away and tuck some loose strands of hair behind her ear. He took a sip of his coffee, humming in appreciation.

"Even your coffee is good," Herakles commented with surprised appreciation, "Can you be my secretary?" He asked. 

Eleni broke out into laughter, putting her tea down on the bedside table to avoid spilling it everywhere; especially on Herakles who despite being the tough Nation of Greece, was still sitting in just his underpants! Herakles took another sip, then put down his coffee too.

"I am being serious," Herakles said, as he reached out to pull Eleni into his lap. She settled on his knees, and loosely hooked her hands behind Herakles' neck.

"Come and work for me instead." Herakles invited her, with a look of longing on his face. Eleni found that facial expression devastating to her heart. She tried to use humour to diffuse the situation.

"Won't you get sick of seeing my mug every day?" Eleni joked.

"A beautiful secretary like you? I don't believe it!" Herakles replied bluntly.

Eleni was lost for words, floored by Herakles' honesty and belief in her. She leaned closer and nuzzled against Herakles' nose. He nuzzled back, rubbing his warm hands up and down her back in comfort.

"Maybe after I finish University, and I need to brush up on my mainland Greek," Eleni replied diplomatically,

"I'm so used to Island Greek, but you guys on the mainland talk like rapid machine gun fire!" She added. Herakles broke out into laughter, Eleni joined in too with light snickering. 

"Góri! Eeseh ádakhtí! (Girl! You are naughty!)" Herakles chided Eleni, pinching her bottom and making her jump nearly six feet in the air in surprise! Now she was laughing in shock.

"Eh, I suppose you are right, we do speak faster on the mainland," Herakles admitted.

"Yeah, I was watching the news and it flew over my head faster than the old Concorde jets!" Eleni replied, making Herakles chuckle again, and earning another pinch to her bottom.

"What was that for? I'm just telling the truth!" Eleni protested through her laughter, rubbing at the now slightly sore spot.

"Because you are naughty!" Herakles chided her, jokingly this time. "Ádakhtí mou (My naughty one)" reaffirming that Eleni was 'his', and wrapping his strong arms around her back in a warm embrace.

"How am I naughty?" Eleni protested again, but smiling cheekily. 

"Your clothes...on your body...like this?" Herakles pointed out. Eleni looked down at her attire and back up, smiling innocently; as if she hadn't planned to dress up like a secretary from a dodgy romance novel that may or may not be 50 Shades of Grey!

"You are tempting me!" Herakles whispered huskily against Eleni's lips. Eleni felt his warm breath but shivered with want at his words. She knew she should be on her way to breakfast now to meet her boss and the rest of the team.

"Oh, I'm tempting you?" Eleni whispered back hotly. "I'm fully dressed for the day. Who's the one still in their underwear, looking hotter than those marble statues of the Gods, hmm?"

"You think I'm hot?" Herakles asked, his eyebrows raising with delight, clearly flattered.

"Damn right I do," Eleni answered, closing the tiny gap and giving into temptation, kissing Herakles with barely restrained passion. Herakles kissed back just as fervently, deepening the kiss. It felt like they were two twin suns spinning around each other; sending each other warm solar flares of affection, and always together.

At that moment, Eleni's phone decided to ring out loudly and proudly from her handbag across the room. Eleni stood up, gave Herakles one more powerful kiss that left him blinking and stunned, and broke away to answer her phone. As a stern British voice asked questions down the phone, Eleni stepped into her thick heeled smart shoes, and efficiently gathered her glasses, folder, bag and jacket. Herakles couldn't hear the whole conversation, but he had the sinking feeling that his morning with Eleni was about to be cut short.

_ Maybe if I get dressed...we can leave together?  _ Herakles thought optimistically. He got out of bed, and hunted around Eleni's room for his T-shirt, trousers and shoes. 

Eleni ended the call, and sighed with frustration.

"Are you in trouble?" Herakles asked her with concern. Eleni looked up, a mixture of pleasantly surprised and disappointed. Pleasantly surprised that Herakles was dressed already. Disappointed because she rather enjoyed the sight of Herakles without clothes on too! 

"Not yet...but I will be if I don't leave now," Eleni replied, with big hints of worry. Herakles was disappointed, but followed Eleni out of her hotel room. Without a second thought, Eleni spun around into Herakles' chest and hugged him with one arm. Herakles was startled, but recovered quickly, wrapping his arms around Eleni and resting his head on top of hers.

"I...don't want to be clingy…" Eleni began, as she pulled away from Herakles' chest to look up at him sincerely, "...but you are  _ very  _ difficult to say goodbye to!" She finished sheepishly.

"This is not goodbye...we will see each other later...yeah?" Herakles replied warmly, gently kissing Eleni's forehead. She laughed softly, then squeaked as Herakles pinched her bottom again. Eleni leant in to give Herakles the customary Greek goodbye kisses. Suddenly, Herakles' gasped as Eleni retaliated by pinching his bottom too with her free hand, earning a very surprised look from him! She trotted away to the other end of the corridor, with a cheeky wink and a promise that she'll meet him in their secret kitchen later. 

Herakles was left shaking his head at Eleni's audacity. Only a rare few ever got the upperhand on him. 

_ Átakhtí mou (My naughty one)...  _ Herakles thought fondly. Although to be fair, he had acted naughty to her too.

_ Does being in love...bring out the youth in people?  _ Herakles wondered, as he started to make his way back to his own hotel room.  _ Does love break down barriers so easily? _

Herakles' thoughts on the inner workings of being in love and its effects rotated the philosophical cogs in his head as he showered. The Ancient Philosophers and poets' ideas of what being in love does to people whirled around his head like moons on planets as he ate breakfast. 

Socrates' words that Love is a state of need, had Herakles thinking again during the Meeting in the auditorium.  His eyes drifted straight up to the UK Political Team. Like a bee to a flower, he sought out exactly what he needed to see, or rather, who. Eleni was diligently writing away in a notepad, looking up briefly to listen to the current speaker. As if by psychic connection, Eleni locked eyes with Herakles, and smiled lovingly at him. Herakles felt himself smiling back, and a great need to pluck Eleni out of her chair and have her next to him instead! Herakles realised that his ancestors had hit the nail on the head again. Lunch time couldn't come fast enough!

***********************************************************************************************************************************

When Eleni had proposed that they have Lunch in their secret kitchen, she didn't realise that she would  _ become  _ Lunch! She was currently sat on a kitchen cabinet with her legs wrapped around Herakles' hips, as he stood in front of her devouring her neck, and his hands running rampant across her body.

"Agápi mou (My Love)...heh heh...have you eaten any food, or am  _ I  _ your Lunch?" Eleni asked, half joking, "You're eating me alive here!"

Herakles pulled back from kissing Eleni's neck to lean his forehead against hers.

"Δε σε χορταίνω (Dhe se horteno/ I can't get enough of you)..." He panted hotly, looking desperately into her eyes. Eleni felt floored by the intense heat Herakles' passion and desire. The temperature rose to scorching levels as Herakles ran his palms slowly but deliberately up Eleni's skirt and against her thighs, fingers grazing at the point where lace met skin.

_ She is wearing stockings?! _ Herakles realised. He felt his heart rate pick up even more, at the thought that Eleni had a few pleasant surprises meant for him to find!

"Με καυλώνεις (Me kavlónees/Ypu make me horny)" Herakles half hissed, half grunted, rolling his hips against Eleni's. She gasped as she felt the now very obvious bulge through Herakles' trousers. Her eye lids fluttered as she recovered from the realisation that  _ Oh bloody hell Hot & Horny Herakles mode has been activated, welp! Must pour ice on the situation, initiate Cool British Sarcasm Mode! _

"Oh, I make you horny huh? I'd have never have guessed from your wandering hands in my bra and up my skirt!" Eleni quipped sarcastically but with good natured teasing. It brought out a hummed chuckle from Herakles.

"And is that a marble column in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?" Eleni asked Herakles with more teasing, using her legs to pull Herakles' hips even closer to press fully against him. Herakles chuckled out loud this time. 

"I did not bring back any souvenirs from my last archaeological dig," Herakles answered honestly, making Eleni chuckle lightly this time, "But...I am very... _ very... _ pleased to see you!" Herakles finished suggestively, his fingers trailing upwards and brushing against  _ forbidden territory _ !

Eleni jerked her hands down immediately to between her thighs, halting Herakles' advancement there.

"Woah woah woah! Honey, I'm sorry but we don't have time for  _ that  _ right now!" Eleni blurted out, panicked. Herakles looked disappointed but pulled his hands back to respect Eleni's wishes.

"Gimme your hands," Eleni softly asked.

"Huh? Why?" Herakles asked in confusion.

"Just let me take them. Hand 'em over. Sé Parakaló (Please)?" Eleni laid on the honey in her request, adding Greek in to sweeten the deal for Herakles. He sighed with resignation, lifted his hands from underneath Eleni's skirt, and held them out. Eleni gently took Herakles' hands in hers, and stroked his fingers with her thumb.

"Herakles...agápi mou (My Love)" Eleni began, but Herakles smiling affectionately and looking besotted into her eyes made her pause for a moment. Well, he had told her that being called "My Love" made him ridiculously happy! Eleni pursed her lips, trying to find words in her own besotted brain!

"I am very,  _ very  _ pleased to see you too," Eleni admitted, "It's actually why I brought that night dress and wore these clothes today!" She explained. Herakles took in a sharp intake of breath.

_ She dressed like that...for me?!  _ Herakles thought in surprise and adoration. 

"I wanted to keep things fun for you, I...didn't want to bore you!" Eleni admitted more, baring her soul now. 

"Eleni mou (My Helen), I don't think you could ever bore me," Herakles told her sincerely, "I do not like sitting in front of a computer for a long time...that is boring. But when I am talking with you, I like it! I like you!" He admitted.

Eleni chuckled softly, tugging on Herakles' hands to bring them over her head and looped behind her neck. She cupped Herakles face with her palms and met him half way for a long, languid and meaningful kiss.

_ I missed you. I like you too. I love you… _

When Eleni pulled back, she lovingly trailed her fingers down Herakles' jaw.

"I like you too," She admitted quietly.

"Yeah? I would never have guessed...from the way you kiss me...and your clothes…" Herakles replied, playfully imitating Eleni's sarcasm. 

Eleni threw her head back with peals of laughter, then leant back in to nuzzle Herakles' nose affectionately.

"So...you are my secretary?" Herakles asked hopefully, his hands wandering against Eleni's thighs again.

"I am  _ Arthur's  _ secretary for the next few hours," Eleni corrected. Herakles sighed with frustration.

"But after 5pm...I'm  _ all  _ yours!" Eleni promised sweetly, looking directly into Herakles' green and gold eyes to say _please believe me!_

"Yeah?" Herakles asked hopefully. God knows how many nights they planned together, only for Eleni to be snatched away for work.

"Yeah, for sure this time. Arthur is going home tonight, so it'll just be you and me, no work!" Eleni reassured Herakles. "Although if I'm going to be your secretary, I'm wondering what kind of work you're going to make me do?" Eleni asked playfully.

Herakles smiled at her disarmingly. Eleni had a feeling that this meant trouble!

"Well...you will not need paper or a pen…" Herakles began lightly, then he leaned to her ear.

"But you  _ will  _ be working  _ this  _ later," He whispered sinfully, squeezing Eleni's behind sensually.


	17. I just want to kiss you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It starts as an innocent idea to take a selfie. But being close to Herakles gives Eleni other ideas! Does Herakles share these ideas too, or is Eleni about to cause trouble?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An interlude that happened 2 months after "The Secretary".

"Let's take a selfie together!" Eleni suggested out of the blue. They were sight-seeing at a picturesque town on a beautiful warm and sunny day. It felt like a perfect opportunity to get a lovely photograph to capture each other in this moment in time.

Herakles turned to Eleni, raising his eyebrows with interest at her suggestion.

"Oh... OK!" Herakles replied, not only complying but also sidling up right next to Eleni's side.

Eleni had the full intention of just smiling and taking the selfie, as she prepared her phone to take this innocent snap. But when Herakles placed his strong arm around her shoulder and gave a small squeeze of affection, one thought flooded Eleni's brain like a waterfall gushing into a lake.

_ I want to kiss him! _

To be fair, Eleni wanted to kiss Herakles quite regularly. They were officially dating now, and physical affection came easily to Herakles. They had hugged and kissed as friends, perhaps Eleni was overthinking again.

_ But this is supposed to be a joint selfie, not a sly plot to snag and smooch!  _ Eleni's conscience argued.

_ But...I still want to kiss him!  _ Eleni thought longingly. Especially when Herakles' cheek pressed against Eleni's cheek, and she felt his firm, warm skin like the kiss of sunlight. Herakles' scent of olives and musk was intoxicating, totally throwing Eleni's resistance out of the window!

_ Just a cheek kiss when I snap the selfie, that's all I want!  _ Eleni thought desperately.  _ Herakles won't be offended by that little surprise...will he? _

Only one way to find out!

"Say 'Spanakopittakia'!" Eleni sing-songed, as she lifted up her phone and prepared to press the button. 

Herakles hummed a chuckle at Eleni's choice of words to smile at. It was far too long a word to say for a photo, and that was why it garnered a small laugh. Eleni's humour could be a bit strange. Then again, so was Herakles' when the mood took him. Perhaps that is why they fit together so well, so far.

On the phone's screen, Eleni could see herself next to Herakles with a pretty picturesque view of the town behind them, and bright blue skies. She saw Herakles smile like a blossoming rose, and felt his chuckle like a warm rumble in her heart. In a surge of affection, Eleni turned to kiss Herakles' cheek. She closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

_ Hang on a minute...since when do cheeks feel soft but wet?  _ Eleni's conscience asked in bewilderment.

_ And I'm sure cheeks don't press against lips with that much sweet pressure! Unless… _

Eleni pressed the button to take the photo, hearing the tell tale "Click" of the selfie being taken. Then she decided to open her eyes and pull back.

To her surprise, Herakles was fully facing her! Eleni blinked owlishly.

"Oh!" She blurted out. "Did you...turn to... kiss me too?" 

"...Yeah, I did," Herakles admitted care-freely. Eleni snorted and started to chuckle nervously.

"I, er, was fully intending to just take a photo of us! It wasn't some devious plot to kiss you!" Eleni confessed, holding her hands up in surrender and looking quite panicked.

"OK…?" Herakles replied, not sounding convinced but he still smiled warmly, enough to melt Eleni's insides into happy goo!

"But when you got so close to me, and I saw you smile on the screen, and you laughed too...yeah I...just felt the urge to kiss you!" Eleni rambled out the rest of her confession.

Herakles cupped Eleni's cheeks with his warm palms, and nuzzled her nose affectionately.

"I wanted to kiss you too," Herakles confessed, "You made me laugh...and I always want to kiss you!"

That quiet confession sent Eleni's brain happily rolling off the edge of self-control.

"What's stopping you?" She challenged, dropping her voice to a tempting low octave, sweet as honey to Herakles' ears.

Apparently nothing, as Herakles leaned in and gently tugged Eleni to him for more sweet and soft kisses. Eleni reveled in Herakles' love and affection, pressing her lips back to tell him how much she loved him in their shared language of love. Herakles clearly got the message, as he deepened the kiss into a slow burning but passionate one.

Eleni pulled back for a moment to breathe, and stop herself from spontaneously combusting in the fires of Herakles' passion! It was already too hot at 3pm in the afternoon at the height of Greece's summer!

"Sé agapó (I love you)", Eleni whispered fervently, closing her eyes and sliding her nose against Herakles' cheek; a cat kiss. Herakles smiled with affection and returned the gesture, leaning in towards Eleni's ear.

"Show me by filling me with your kisses," He whispered romantically, borrowing from the musicians and poets of his beautiful lands.

_ Challenge accepted!  _ Eleni thought, as she dived in to kiss Herakles senseless, and melt willingly in his strong embrace. 

When Eleni finally remembered to show Herakles the selfie afterwards, they both took a look at the photograph. It was slightly wonky and off centre, as Eleni had looked away when she took the selfie. But there in the middle, with a town full of old but pretty buildings in the background, was a frozen moment of Herakles and Eleni in a stolen kiss.

Herakles later told Eleni that the Greek word for friend "philo", is very close to the word "philiá" for kiss. Since they are "philo and philenatha" (boyfriend and girlfriend), Herakles thought it was therefore perfectly natural for them "na phiáneh" (to kiss). Eleni complimented Herakles on being so clever, and plied him with more kisses!


End file.
